Walk/Wheelability: An Inclusive Instrument Pair for Participatory Age-Friendly Research and Practice

Background and Objectives: Recent critical evaluations of age-friendly efforts have highlighted the need to prioritize the disenfranchised, including people with mobility limitations. This article examines the validity of a 13-item Stakeholders Walkability/Wheelability Audit in Neighborhoods (SWAN13) scale to measure the walk/wheelability of street segments from the perspectives of people with mobility limitations. Research Design and Methods: Data were drawn from preliminary studies of the SWANaudit which was conducted in 2 Canadian metropolitan areas. Sixty-one participants who use mobility devices (e.g., walkers, power wheelchairs) and older adults from community organizations audited 195 street segments. We factor analyzed the data from their audits. Results: SWAN13 has a 1-factor structure. 13 items were retained from 85 SWANaudit items. SWAN13 encompassed both physical and social aspects of walk/wheelability. The alpha for the scale was .79. Convergent validity was found with the University of Alabama Life-Space Assessment (rho = .22, p = .003), especially at the neighborhood level (rho = .23, p = .002). Significant correlation was also found with subjective assessments of a priori walk/wheelability domains (rho = .63, p < .001). Discussion and Implications: Walk/wheelability affects the life space of older adults and people with mobility limitations. It is an important latent variable that should be addressed to promote well-being and social participation. SWAN13 may be used in city-wide surveys to identify neighborhoods that may require age-friendly interventions from mobility perspectives. Detailed audits and interventions may be carried out in tandem using the paired SWANaudit instrument. Walk/wheelability is an inclusive and measurable concept that accounts for the needs of people with various mobility needs.

Automated summary

The SWAN13 scale was found to have convergent validity and stability in measuring walk/wheelability for people with mobility limitations, indicating its potential for assessing community walkability and promoting age-friendly interventions.