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The underrecognized epidemic of low mobility during hospitalization of older adults
Brown CJ, Redden DT, Flood KL, Allman RM.. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2009-08-04
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Objectives To examine the proportion of time spent in three levels of mobility (lying, sitting, and standing or walking) by a cohort of hospitalized older veterans as measured by validated wireless accelerometers. Design A prospective, observational cohort study. Setting One hundred fifty-bed Department of Veterans Affairs hospital. Participants Forty-five hospitalized medical patients, aged 65 and older who were not delirious, did not have dementia, and were able to walk in the 2 weeks before admission were eligible. Measurements Wireless accelerometers were attached to the thigh and ankle of patients for the first 7 days after admission or until hospital discharge, whichever came first. The mean proportion of time spent lying, sitting, and standing or walking was determined for each hour after hospital admission using a previously validated algorithm. Results Forty-five male patients (mean age 74.2) with a mean length of stay of 5.1 days generated 2,592 one-hour periods of data. A baseline functional assessment indicated that 35 (77.8%) study patients were willing and able to walk a short distance independently. No patient remained in bed the entire measured hospital stay, but on average, 83% of the measured hospital stay was spent lying in bed. The average amount of time that any one individual spent standing or walking ranged from a low of 0.2% to a high of 21%, with a median of 3%, or 43 minutes per day. Conclusion This is the first study to continuously monitor mobility levels early during a hospital stay. On average, older hospitalized patients spent most of their time lying in bed, despite an ability to walk independently.
Key findings
- Results Forty-five male patients (mean age 74.2) with a mean length of stay of 5.1 days generated 2,592 one-hour periods of data.
- A baseline functional assessment indicated that 35 (77.8%) study patients were willing and able to walk a short distance independently.
Why it matters
This observational study found that hospitalised older patients spent about 83% of their measured hospital stay lying in bed, despite most being able to walk independently before admission. It is about low mobility during hospitalisation and does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Study designcohort study
- Effect size77.8%; 0.2%
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 57/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for sample size, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Journal of the American Geriatrics Society: journal h-index 344 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A cohort study following people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2009 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 683 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 35.9 citations a year over 19 year(s) since 2009 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 6.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 118 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Richard M. Allman: h-index 70 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of Alabama at Birmingham: institution h-index 1,118 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 19682121) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 57 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2009.02393.x
- PubMed: 19682121
- Original source →
- Free full text: Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Brown, C. J., Redden, D. T., Flood, K. L., & Allman, R. M. (2009). The underrecognized epidemic of low mobility during hospitalization of older adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2009.02393.x
Vancouver
Brown CJ, Redden DT, Flood KL, Allman RM. The underrecognized epidemic of low mobility during hospitalization of older adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2009. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2009.02393.x. PMID: 19682121.
BibTeX
@article{brown2009-19682121,
author = {Brown, C. J. and Redden, D. T. and Flood, K. L. and Allman, R. M.},
title = {{The underrecognized epidemic of low mobility during hospitalization of older adults}},
journal = {Journal of the American Geriatrics Society},
year = {2009},
doi = {10.1111/j.1532-5415.2009.02393.x},
pmid = {19682121},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2009.02393.x}
}
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