Associations of openness and conscientiousness with walking speed decline: findings from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study

Details

• Personal Author:
  Ayonayon HN ; Coday MC ; Costa PT Jr. ; Faulkner K ; Ferrucci L ; Simonsick EM ; Terracciano A ; Tolea MI
• Description:
  Objectives. The objective of this study was to explore the associations between openness to experience and conscientiousness, two dimensions of the five-factor model of personality, and usual gait speed and gait speed decline. Method. Baseline analyses were conducted on 907 men and women aged 71-82 years participating in the Cognitive Vitality substudy of the Health, Aging, and Body Composition study. The longitudinal analytic sample consisted of 740 participants who had walking speed assessed 3 years later. RESULTS: At baseline, gait speed averaged 1.2 m/s, and an average decline of 5% over the 3-year follow-up period was observed. Higher conscientiousness was associated with faster initial walking speed and less decline in walking speed over the study period, independent of sociodemographic characteristics. Lifestyle factors and disease status appear to play a role in the baseline but not the longitudinal association between conscientiousness and gait speed. Openness was not associated with either initial or decline in gait speed. Discussion. These findings extend the body of evidence suggesting a protective association between conscientiousness and physical function to performance-based assessment of gait speed. Future studies are needed to confirm these associations and to explore mechanisms that underlie the conscientiousness mobility connection in aging adults. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aging Behavior Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety Surveys And Questionnaires
• Keywords:
  Age-groups Analytical-processes Author Keywords: Chronic Conditions Body-mechanics Conscientiousness Lifestyle Factors Openness To Experience Physical-fitness Physiological-factors Physiological-function Physiology Posture Questionnaires Walking Speed Weight-factors

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• ISSN:
  1079-5014
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Georgia ; Maryland ; Missouri ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 7 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Tennessee
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OD - Office of the Director
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  67
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20041786
• Citation:
  J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2012 Nov; 67(6):705-711
• Contact Point Address:
  Magdalena Tolea, PhD, Gerontology Program, School of Social Work, University of Missouri-St Louis, St Louis, MO 63121
• Email:
  toleam@umsl.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b3136d5163bbf847bc09e35da70f4a0c7d0d86055686d62844ad8832b2f750633a171b65a5a84fa7fe67bda36d54952209d26ace945786bb42a1b8768cbe85ff
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/194252/cdc_194252_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 343.32 KB ]