Lower Extremity Physical Performance and Use of Compensatory Strategies for Mobility

OBJECTIVES: To compare measured lower extremity physical performance in the clinic with the methods used to carry out mobility tasks at home and to identify key factors influencing day‐to‐day task performance. DESIGN: Cross‐sectional analysis of the Women's Health and Aging Study I. SETTING: Community‐dwelling female residents of Baltimore, Maryland. PARTICIPANTS: One thousand two cognitively intact women aged 65 and older with moderate to severe physical limitations. MEASUREMENTS: Compensatory strategies reportedly used for mobility in the home, distinguishing between use of no compensatory strategies, behavioral changes only, durable medical equipment (DME) with or without behavioral change, and human help; measured lower extremity (LE) physical performance (gait speed, timed chair stands, balance). RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference in LE physical performance between women using the four types of compensatory strategy (P