Short-Term 8-Foot up and Go Responsiveness in Institutionalized vs. Community-Dwelling Older Adults

This study aimed to examine the combined effects of Body Mass Index (BMI) and living setting on fall risk trajectories in older adults over a 16-week period. A total of 124 older adults were recruited from nursing homes (n = 65; Mage: 84.4 ± 7.7 years) and community settings (n = 59; Mage: 70.3 ± 3.6 years). Participants were stratified by BMI (normal weight, overweight, and obesity) and assessed for functional mobility using the 8-foot Timed Up and Go test at baseline and after 16 weeks. A 3 × 2 × 2 repeated-measures GLM using the multivariate approach (Pillai’s Trace) revealed significant main effects for time (p < 0.001) and Living Setting (p < 0.001), but not for BMI (p = 0.408). A significant time × living setting interaction (p < 0.001) indicated that institutionalized older adults demonstrated a significant reduction in 8-foot Up-and-Go completion time (~16%), whereas community-dwelling peers maintained their baseline levels. These findings suggest that the observed reduction in time reflects a test familiarization effect rather than physiological improvement. Analysis revealed that the living setting profile was strongly associated with performance, showing a more significant link to functional decline than BMI-defined weight status, as no significant differences were found across BMI categories.