The MobilE‑Net project investigated how behavioral economic traits influence the impact of dizziness and osteoarthritis on quality of life and health‑care use in older adults. Using the population‑based KORA cohort, the team accessed three distinct data sets. The first, delivered in February 2021, contained information on 3,058 participants and was used to examine the moderating role of risk attitudes and time preferences on the relationship between dizziness and health‑related quality of life. A second data set, received in September 2022, comprised complete health‑behaviour outcomes for individuals with joint pain and was analysed to assess how osteoarthritis pain relates to utilisation of medical services. The third, obtained in October 2022, included 1,882 participants with and without dizziness and was employed to explore how risk‑seeking behaviour moderates the effect of dizziness on quality of life.
Data quality was verified with R and SAS, after which descriptive statistics and multivariate regression models were applied. Interaction terms were introduced to test for moderation effects. The analyses confirmed that dizziness is widespread among older adults and is associated with a significant reduction in health‑related quality of life. Importantly, risk attitudes and present‑orientation emerged as significant moderators: individuals with higher risk tolerance and a stronger focus on the present reported better quality of life despite dizziness. Optimism also moderated the association, further buffering the negative impact of dizziness. In the osteoarthritis analysis, higher risk‑seeking behaviour and present‑orientation were linked to fewer specialist visits and a lower overall number of doctor appointments over a three‑month period, suggesting that these traits influence health‑care utilisation patterns.
These findings align with earlier literature indicating that personality factors such as self‑efficacy, resilience, and risk preference shape coping strategies for chronic conditions. The project’s results imply that incorporating behavioral economic characteristics into clinical assessments could improve predictions of quality‑of‑life outcomes and health‑care use, and may guide interventions aimed at enhancing patient engagement and adherence.
Collaboration was coordinated by the Helmholtz Zentrum München (HMGU) and the Ludwig‑Maximilians‑Universität München (LMU). The project was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) under grant number 01GY1913B. The initial data request was made in November 2020, with subsequent requests in 2022. A principal investigator transition occurred on 1 December 2022 when the former PI, who accepted a professorship in health economics, was succeeded by a senior scientist who continued to oversee the subproject. The former PI remained involved in interpreting results and manuscript preparation. An E13 scientist from LMU supported data analysis and manuscript drafting for the TRA2 project, ensuring continuity of expertise. The project concluded on 31 May 2023, with the final report prepared by researchers Renee Stark, Lars Schwettmann, and Sara Pedron. The collaborative effort combined epidemiological data from KORA with advanced statistical modelling to elucidate how behavioral economics shapes health outcomes in older adults with dizziness and osteoarthritis.