Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

The decline in muscle mass and strength during aging, physical inactivity, and an increase in body fatness enhance the probability of developing mobility disabilities among seniors, increase the risk and fear of falling and, as a consequence, affect older people's autonomy, independence in activities of daily living and quality of life. Obesity is known to contribute to a loss of 6 to 8 years of functioning and represents an important barrier to engagement in health-promoting physical activity. Indeed, the prevalence of obesity across Canada, and in many other countries, has progressively increased, reaching a rate of 20% (obesity) and ~45% if we consider people with obesity and overweight. In addition, only about 12% of the Canadian seniors are considered sufficiently active according to the Canadian Physical Activity guidelines (>150 min/week of structured and regular activities). Clinically, these different combinations of profiles are not actionable as it is the components themselves that need to be modified in real life. Therefore, in order to facilitate clinical decision-making process and promote effective targeted interventions, it is essential to identify the extent to which these components affect the course of physical function and create simple tools for clinicians and seniors to assess the risk of decline. It is equally important to improve individuals' awareness of their status and engagement in their own health promotion and risk reduction. If our hypotheses are correct, millions of older people with obesity could benefit from targeted interventions that will ultimately lead to improved mobility and overall physical capacity. Our research will, therefore, increase seniors' quality of life and reduce the impact of disability in the healthcare system.