Physical mobility is essential to health, and patients often rate it as a high-priority clinical outcome. Digital mobility outcomes (DMOs), such as real-world gait speed or step count, show promise as clinical measures in many medical conditions. However, current research is nascent and fragmented by discipline. This scoping review maps existing evidence on the clinical utility of DMOs, identifying commonalities across traditional disciplinary divides. In November 2019, 11 databases were searched for records investigating the validity and responsiveness of 34 DMOs in four diverse medical conditions (Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hip fracture). Searches yielded 19,672 unique records. After screening, 855 records representing 775 studies were included and charted in systematic maps. Studies frequently investigated gait speed (70.4% of studies), step length (30.7%), cadence (21.4%), and daily step count (20.7%). They studied differences between healthy and pathological gait (36.4%), associations between DMOs and clinical measures (48.8%) or outcomes (4.3%), and responsiveness to interventions (26.8%). Gait speed, step length, cadence, step time and step count exhibited consistent evidence of validity and responsiveness in multiple conditions, although the evidence was inconsistent or lacking for other DMOs. If DMOs are to be adopted as mainstream tools, further work is needed to establish their predictive validity, responsiveness, and ecological validity. Cross-disciplinary efforts to align methodology and validate DMOs may facilitate their adoption into clinical practice.

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IntroductionAdvances in wearable sensor technology now enable frequent, objective monitoring of real-world walking. Walking-related digital mobility outcomes (DMOs), such as real-world walking speed, have the potential to be more sensitive to mobility changes than traditional clinical assessments. However, it is not yet clear which DMOs are most suitable for formal validation. In this review, we will explore the evidence on discriminant ability, construct validity, prognostic value and responsiveness of walking-related DMOs in four disease areas: Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and proximal femoral fracture.Methods and analysisArksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework for scoping reviews will guide study conduct. We will search seven databases (Medline, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE, IEEE Digital Library and Cochrane Library) and grey literature for studies which (1) measure differences in DMOs between healthy and pathological walking, (2) assess relationships between DMOs and traditional clinical measures, (3) assess the prognostic value of DMOs and (4) use DMOs as endpoints in interventional clinical trials. Two reviewers will screen each abstract and full-text manuscript according to predefined eligibility criteria. We will then chart extracted data, map the literature, perform a narrative synthesis and identify gaps.Ethics and disseminationAs this review is limited to publicly available materials, it does not require ethical approval. This work is part of Mobilise-D, an Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking which aims to deliver, validate and obtain regulatory approval for DMOs. Results will be shared with the scientific community and general public in cooperation with the Mobilise-D communication team.RegistrationStudy materials and updates will be made available through the Center for Open Science’s OSFRegistry (https://osf.io/k7395).

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Background The study of impact of lockdowns on individual health-related behaviors has produced divergent results. Purpose To identify patterns of change in multiple health-related behaviors analyzed as a whole, and their individual determinants. Methods Between March and August 2020, we collected data on smoking, alcohol, physical activity, weight, and sleep in a population-based cohort from Catalonia who had available pre-pandemic data. We performed multiple correspondence and cluster analyses to identify patterns of change in health-related behaviors and built multivariable multinomial logistic regressions to identify determinants of behavioral change. Results In 10,032 participants (59% female, mean (SD) age 55 (8) years), 8,606 individuals (86%) modified their behavior during the lockdown. We identified five patterns of behavioral change that were heterogeneous and directed both towards worsening and improvement in diverse combinations. Patterns ranged from “global worsening” (2,063 participants, 21%) characterized by increases in smoking, alcohol consumption, and weight, and decreases in physical activity levels and sleep time, to “improvement” (2,548 participants, 25%) characterized by increases in physical activity levels, decreases in weight and alcohol consumption, and both increases and decreases in sleep time. Being female, of older age, teleworking, having a higher education level, assuming caregiving responsibilities, and being more exposed to pandemic news were associated with changing behavior (all p < .05), but did not discriminate between favorable or unfavorable changes. Conclusions Most of the population experienced changes in health-related behavior during lockdowns. Determinants of behavior modification were not explicitly associated with the direction of changes but allowed the identification of older, teleworking, and highly educated women who assumed caregiving responsibilities at home as susceptible population groups more vulnerable to lockdowns.

Background The ability to walk is an important indicator of general health and mobility deficits have wide-ranging economic implications. We undertook a systematic review to elucidate the impact of walking parameters on health care costs.  Methods Publications reporting on associations between health care costs and walking parameters were identified by a systematic literature search in MEDLINE, Embase, and manual reference screening, following the PRISMA reporting guidelines. First, titles and abstracts were screened by two independent reviewers followed by a review of the full articles if they met the inclusion criteria. Costs were converted to US-Dollars with inflation adjustment for 2021. A narrative synthesis was performed.  Results Ten studies conducted between 2001 and 2021 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Assessment of walking ability was carried out via patient reported outcomes, performance tests, or using wearable digital devices. Walking more than one hour per day, a faster walking speed and the ability to walk without impairments are associated with significant lower health care costs. A higher number of steps per day is associated with significant lower costs in two simulation studies, while in the study using a digital device, taking more than 10,000 steps per day is not significantly associated with lower direct costs. The heterogeneity of mobility assessments and of economic analyses both precluded a quantitative synthesis. Conclusion Cross-sectional and observational studies from this systematic review suggest a significant association of better walking performance with lower health care costs. Future health economic research and health technology assessments should use quantifiable mobility outcomes when evaluating new drugs or non-pharmacological interventions.

Background walking is crucial for an active and healthy ageing, but the perspectives of individuals living with walking impairment are still poorly understood. Objectives to identify and synthesise evidence describing walking as experienced by adults living with mobility-impairing health conditions and to propose an empirical conceptual framework of walking experience. Methods we performed a systematic review and meta-ethnography of qualitative evidence, searching seven electronic databases for records that explored personal experiences of walking in individuals living with conditions of diverse aetiology. Conditions included Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hip fracture, heart failure, frailty and sarcopenia. Data were extracted, critically appraised using the NICE quality checklist and synthesised using standardised best practices. Results from 2,552 unique records, 117 were eligible. Walking experience was similar across conditions and described by seven themes: (i) becoming aware of the personal walking experience, (ii) the walking experience as a link between individuals’ activities and sense of self, (iii) the physical walking experience, (iv) the mental and emotional walking experience, (v) the social walking experience, (vi) the context of the walking experience and (vii) behavioural and attitudinal adaptations resulting from the walking experience. We propose a novel conceptual framework that visually represents the walking experience, informed by the interplay between these themes. Conclusion a multi-faceted and dynamic experience of walking was common across health conditions. Our conceptual framework of the walking experience provides a novel theoretical structure for patient-centred clinical practice, research and public health.

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