Predicting Long-Term Mobility Outcomes for Older Adults

描述(由申请人提供)：为了确定老年司机机动性不良结果的功能能力风险因素，马里兰州机动车管理局(MVA)、NHTSA和NIA资助的UAB Roybal应用老年学研究中心于1998年发起了一项合作研究。在这项研究中，在几个MVA外地办事处完成执照续签后，对大样本(N=2000+)的老年司机进行了简单的基于绩效的衡量标准的评估。此外，这些参与者中的一个子样本(n=850+)每年都会接受为期三年的电话采访，以监测他们总体流动性的变化。通过这项研究，马里兰州马里兰州退伍军人管理局认为一套有限的功能能力测试对进一步评估和可能在许可过程中实施有用。此外，这些相同的指标被发现可以预测通过自我报告获得的流动性更普遍的下降。本申请提议在五年后的下一个执照更新周期中重新检查最初的参与者接受改良版本的筛查电池，并通过电话调查在另外三年期间监测整个样本的流动性。继续跟踪这一独特且具有良好特征的样本的主要好处是，可以纵向检查已经确定的风险因素的影响，可以比较最初发现认知和身体困难的人与没有发现困难的人随着时间的推移活动功能的轨迹。更清楚地了解风险因素是如何随时间变化的，可以作为制定干预措施的基础，以促进老年人的流动性，并为负责评估驾驶能力的州机构制定评估、转介和执照指南提供信息。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In order to identify functional ability risk factors for adverse mobility outcomes among older drivers, a collaborative study was initiated in 1998 between the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA), NHTSA, and the NIA-funded UAB Roybal Center for Research on Applied Gerontology. In this study, a large sample (N=2000+) of older drivers was evaluated with a brief battery of performance-based measures after completing license renewal at several MVA field offices. In addition, a sub-sample (n=850+) of these participants was followed annually by telephone interview for a three year period to monitor changes in their overall mobility. Through that study, a limited set of functional ability tests were deemed useful by the Maryland MVA for further evaluation and potential implementation in the licensing process. In addition, these same measures were found to be predictive of more general declines in mobility obtained through self-report. The present application proposes to re-examine the original participants on a modified version of the screening battery administered five years later during their next license renewal cycle and to monitor, via telephone survey, the mobility of the entire sample over an additional three year period. The primary advantage for continuing to follow this unique and well-characterized sample is that the impact of already identified risk factors can be examined longitudinally, and the trajectory of mobility function over time can be compared for individuals who initially evidenced cognitive and physical difficulties relative to those who did not. A clearer understanding of how risk factors change over time can serve as a basis for developing interventions to promote mobility for older adults, as well as providing information for the development of assessment, referral, and licensing guidelines for state agencies charged with the task of evaluating driving competence.