NOT ALWAYS A WALK IN THE PARK - Evaluating Trends and Disparities in Community Mobility Among Older Adults - read online free

Q: What were the overall trends in the ability to walk three blocks between 2015 and 2022?

In 2015, about 28% (an estimated 7.5 million) could not walk three blocks, while in 2022 about 25% (8.8 million older adults) were unable to do so.

Q: Which groups showed the largest mobility disparities?

Black and Hispanic participants had significantly lower community mobility rates than White participants in all years. Female participants also showed persistently lower rates.

Sep 29, 2026

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The study analyzes community mobility among adults aged 70 and older using nationally representative data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study covering 2015–2022. Community mobility was defined as the ability to walk at least three blocks without assistance. Repeated cross-sectional trend analyses and survey-weighted logistic regression assessed changes by age, sex, and race/ethnicity. Results show substantial numbers unable to walk three blocks, with consistently lower mobility for Black and Hispanic participants and persistently lower rates among women.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Methods

Trend and regression approach

Findings

Overall mobility changes (2015–2022)

Disparities by race/ethnicity and sex

Implications

Need for targeted interventions

996 Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 Abstract citation ID: igaf122.3362 NOT ALWAYS A WALK IN THE PARK: EVALUATING TRENDS AND DISPARITIES IN COMMUNITY MOBILITY AMONG OLDER ADULTS, 2015-2022 Jason Falvey1, Chixiang Chen1, Michelle Shardell1, Jay Magaziner1, and C. Daniel Mullins2, 1. University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 2. University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland, United States Maintaining the ability to navigate community distances, or at least three blocks (approximately ¼ mile), is crucial for older adults. Inability to do so is associated with diminished well-being. Our sample included community-dwelling participants aged 70 years and older from the National Health and Aging Trends Study, an ongoing nationally representative annual survey of older Medicare beneficiaries Community mobility was defined as the capacity to walk 3+ blocks without assistance. Repeated cross-sectional trends analysis (SAS-callable SUDAAN) and survey-weighted logistic regression was used to evaluate age, sex, and race and ethnicity–stratified proportions of older adults who could walk at least 3 blocks in their community and changes in this rate over time. Overall, 28% of older adults (or an estimated 7.5 million) could not walk three blocks in 2015; 8.8 million older adults (25%) were unable to walk three blocks in 2022. Consistently, Black and Hispanic participants had significantly lower rates of community mobility than White participants (62% and 63% vs 77% by 2022, respectively; all years p<.0001) . Female participants also demonstrated persistently lower rates. Hispanic older adults experienced a notable decline in community mobility rates from 2015 (70%) to 2022 (63%), and modest improvements were observed for Black older adults (58% to 62%) . Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 997 Overall, more than 8 million older adults in the US may have difficulty walking 3 blocks outside, which has only modestly improved over the past 7 years. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to address limited and inequitable community mobility in the US.

FAQs

How did the study define community mobility for older adults?

Community mobility was defined as the capacity to walk 3+ blocks without assistance.

What were the overall trends in the ability to walk three blocks between 2015 and 2022?

In 2015, about 28% (an estimated 7.5 million) could not walk three blocks, while in 2022 about 25% (8.8 million older adults) were unable to do so.

Which groups showed the largest mobility disparities?

Black and Hispanic participants had significantly lower community mobility rates than White participants in all years. Female participants also showed persistently lower rates.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by McGucket