Highlights
- •What is the primary question addressed by this study? This study characterized the physical function of older veterans with serious mental illness across endurance, strength, and mobility domains.
- •What is the main finding of this study? Results showed that older veterans with serious mental illness performed worse on measures of endurance, strength, and mobility compared to age- and sex-based references and to their counterparts without serious mental illness.
- •What is the meaning of the finding? Older veterans with serious mental illness have significantly compromised in endurance, strength, and mobility, which may reduce their independence and quality of life.
ABSTRACT
Objective
To characterize the physical function of older veterans with serious mental illness
(SMI) across endurance, strength, and mobility domains.
Design
Retrospective analysis of clinical performance data.
Setting
Gerofit program, a national outpatient supervised exercise program for older veterans,
delivered in Veterans Health Administration sites.
Participants
Older veterans aged 60 and older (n = 166 with SMI, n = 1,441 without SMI) enrolled
across eight national Gerofit sites between 2010 and 2019.
Measurements
Performance measures of physical function covering endurance (6-minute walk test),
strength (chair stands, arm curls), and mobility (10-m walk, 8-foot-up-and-go), were
administered at Gerofit enrollment. Baseline data from these measures were analyzed
to characterize the functional profiles of older veterans with SMI. One sample t tests
were examined to compare functional performance of older veterans with SMI to age-
and sex-based reference scores. Propensity score matching (1:3) and linear mixed effects
models were used to evaluate differences in function between veterans with and without
SMI.
Results
Older veterans with SMI performed worse on all measures of function (chair stands,
arm curls, 10-m walk, 6-minute walk test, 8-foot-up-and-go) compared to age- and sex-based
reference scores with statistically significant differences present in the male sample.
Functional performance of those with SMI was also worse compared to propensity-score
matched older veterans without SMI with statistically significant differences on chair
stands, 6-minute walk test, and 10-m walk.
Conclusion
Older veterans with SMI have compromised strength, mobility, and endurance. Physical
function should be a core component of screening and treatment for this population.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 01, 2023
Accepted:
February 23,
2023
Received in revised form:
February 22,
2023
Received:
January 30,
2023
Publication stage
In Press Journal Pre-ProofIdentification
Copyright
Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry.
