Personality and reduced incidence of walking limitation in late life: findings from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between openness to experience and conscientiousness and incident reported walking limitation. METHOD: The study population consisted of 786 men and women aged 71-81 years (M = 75 years, SD = 2.7) participating in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition-Cognitive Vitality Substudy. RESULTS: Nearly 20% of participants (155/786) developed walking limitation during 6 years of follow-up. High openness was associated with a reduced risk of walking limitation (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.83, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.69-0.98), independent of sociodemographic factors, health conditions, and conscientiousness. This association was not mediated by lifestyle factors and was not substantially modified by other risk factors for functional disability. Conscientiousness was not associated with risk of walking limitation (HR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.77-1.07). DISCUSSION: Findings suggest that personality dimensions, specifically higher openness to experience, may contribute to functional resilience in late life.

Duke Scholars

Author Paul T. Costa Jr. Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Care