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Aim To assess the reliability and the validity of Portuguese- and Spanish-translated versions of the video-based short-form Mobility Assessment Tool in assessing self-reported mobility, and to provide evidence for the applicability of these videos in elderly Latin American populations as a complement to physical performance measures. Methods The sample consisted of 300 elderly participants (150 from Brazil, 150 from Colombia) recruited at neighborhood social centers. Mobility was assessed with the Mobility Assessment Tool, and compared with the Short Physical Performance Battery score and self-reported functional limitations. Reliability was calculated using intraclass correlation coefficients. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to assess associations among mobility assessment tools and health, and sociodemographic variables. Results A significant gradient of increasing Mobility Assessment Tool score with better physical function was observed for both self-reported and objective measures, and in each city. Associations between self-reported mobility and health were strong, and significant. Mobility Assessment Tool scores were lower in women at both sites. Intraclass correlation coefficients of the Mobility Assessment Tool were 0.94 (95% confidence interval 0.90–0.97) in Brazil and 0.81 (95% confidence interval 0.66–0.91) in Colombia. Mobility Assessment Tool scores were lower in Manizales than in Natal after adjustment by Short Physical Performance Battery, self-rated health and sex. Conclusions These results provide evidence for high reliability and good validity of the Mobility Assessment Tool in its Spanish and Portuguese versions used in Latin American populations. In addition, the Mobility Assessment Tool can detect mobility differences related to environmental features that cannot be captured by objective performance measures. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2014; 14: 864–873.

Colombia is a country of approximately 42 million inhabitants, with some 2.5 million being aged 65 and older. Currently, life expectancy in Colombia is 72.3. By 2025, the population life expectancy at birth will be 77.6 for women and 69.8 for men. The quality of care that people receive as they age in Colombia varies according to where they live. Individuals living in the highly urbanized areas of Colombia receive high-quality care, whereas elderly subjects living in rural areas and in the southern and northern regions are exposed to unemployment, low income, inequity of access to health care, drug trafficking, and armed conflict. In spite of these problems, characteristics of aging of older people in terms of functionality and healthcare access are similar to those of people living in developing countries around the world. This article reviews the particular characteristics of the elderly population in Colombia, especially the significant changes that have happened in recent years, when social instability and conflict have determined that health resources be redirected to other budget priorities such as defense and security.