Mobility among older adults: Deconstructing the effects of motility and movement on wellbeing

Abstract

Daily mobility has been shown to contribute to the wellbeing of older adults, as it promotes healthy and independent living. However, very little is known about how the complex relationships between locations, geographic environments and daily mobility relate to wellbeing. In the current paper, we rely on the concept of ‘motility’– defined as potential mobility– and the concept of ‘movement’– defined as actual mobility– to take a step forwards in disentangling the relationship between mobility and wellbeing. We further examine how both motility and movement relate to two complementary definitions of wellbeing: hedonic wellbeing as a measurement of happiness, and eudaimonic wellbeing as the actualisation of an individual’s human potential. To investigate this relationship, we draw up a conceptual framework stressing pathways linking mobility to wellbeing, which we empirically test using structural equation modelling on a stratified sample of 470 older adults. We first quantitatively confirm that motility is defined by access, competences, appropriation and attitudes to modes of transportation. We then observe that motility has direct effects on eudaimonic wellbeing and, to a lesser extent, on hedonic wellbeing. Part of the motility effects on wellbeing are mediated by movement. Separating mobility into motility and movement stresses the independent and complementary role that potential and realised mobility play in shaping older adults’ wellbeing.

Travel Satisfaction vs. Life Satisfaction: A Weighted Decision-Making Approach

“…Of these, 1005 responded to the whole questionnaire, especially questions regarding travel-related attitudes, satisfaction and overall life satisfaction. Based on different quantitative surveys [14,[74][75][76], 42 variables of transport mode attitudes are built on a five-tier semantic differential scale and down to seven attitudes: speed, cost, ecology, comfort, safety, relaxation, and reliability, which are examined for six modes: bus, metro, train, car, bicycle and walk. This question provides a general overview of preferences and compares the employee's attitudes towards different transport modes, whether or not the person uses the mode (Figure 3).…”

Motility in Frail Older Adults: Operationalization of a New Framework and First Insights into Its Relationship with Physical Activity and Life-Space Mobility: An Exploratory Study

“…What is more, these studies have assessed either healthy older adults without mobility limitations [6,30], or older adults suffering from severe neurological or cognitive disorders [29]. Kaufmann's "motility" concept, which can potentially deliver a better insight in mobility (determinants) in old age, has so far only been used in qualitative studies [31][32][33][34], with working-aged adults [35,36] or with non-frail older adults [37,38]. Furthermore, Cuignet et al (2020) [38] and Bernier et al (2019) [36] focused on the individual aptitudes and interests regarding different transportation modes excluding for example the general social and psychological contexts.…”

Giving Voice to the Environment as the Silent Partner in Aging: Examining the Moderating Roles of Gender and Family Structure in Older Adult Wellbeing

“…This leads to the well-established gender gaps in health and wellbeing that do not diminish with old age [39]. Other similar studies have focused on gender roles and physical wellbeing, gender differences and functional disability [42], and the effects of mobility on wellbeing [43]. However, gender differences in the association of spatial mobility and wellbeing have yet to be explored in a manner that replicates the complex relationship between the two.…”