Exploration of the association between quality of life, assessed by the EQ-5D and ICECAP-O, and falls risk, cognitive function and daily function, in older adults with mobility impairments.

BACKGROUND: Our research sought to understand how falls risk, cognitive function, and daily function are associated with health related quality of life (using the EuroQol-5D) and quality of life (using the ICECAP-O) among older adults with mobility impairments.

METHODS: The EQ-5D and ICECAP-O were administered at 12 months post first clinic attendance at the Vancouver Falls Prevention Clinic. We report descriptive statistics for all baseline characteristics collected at first clinic visit and primary outcomes of interest. Using multivariate stepwise linear regression, we assessed the construct validity of the EQ-5D and ICECAP-O using three dependent measures that are recognized indicators of "impaired mobility" - physiological falls risk, general balance and mobility, and cognitive status among older adults.

RESULTS: We report data on 215 seniors who attended the Vancouver Falls Prevention Clinic and received their first clinic assessment. Patients had a mean age of 79.3 (6.2) years. After accounting for known covariates (i.e., age and sex), the ICECAP-O domains explained a greater amount of variation in each of the three dependent measures compared with the EQ-5D domains.

CONCLUSION: Both the EQ-5D and ICECAP-O demonstrate associations with falls risk and general balance and mobility; however, only the ICECAP-O was associated with cognitive status among older adults with mobility impairments.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01022866.