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A Hierarchical Exercise Scale to Measure Function at the Advanced Activities of Daily Living (AADL) Level
Author(s) -
Reuben David B.,
Laliberte Linda,
Hiris Jeffrey,
Mor Vincent
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1990.tb05699.x
Subject(s) - activities of daily living , medicine , gerontology , scale (ratio) , physical therapy , physics , quantum mechanics
Standard functional assessment instruments often fail to capture subtle impairment in community‐dwelling older persons. To create a scale to measure function at the Advanced Activities of Daily Living (AADL) level, we chose three questions to separate a community sample into four levels: frequent vigorous exercisers (8.0%), frequent long walkers (10.8%), frequent short walkers (23.7%), and nonexercisers (57.5%). These levels of exercise formed a hierarchical scale that correlated positively in a graduated manner with progressively advanced social activities of daily living, current health status, and mental health. At 1‐year follow‐up, 20% of persons declined in exercise level, 63% showed no change in exercise level, and 17% improved their exercise level. Changes in exercise level in both directions were associated with changes in mental health status. The Advanced Activities of Daily Living scale may be a sensitive measure of earlier functional decline, but longer follow‐up will be necessary to determine its clinical usefulness.