Does gender influence mobility difficulty among older persons in Uganda? Examining socio-demographic determinants ABEL NZABONA and JAMES NTOZI Abstract Mobility difficulty among older persons presents health and transport concerns in Uganda where health and transport systems are still undergoing development. Although some information on later life mobility difficulty exists, less is known about associated risk factors. This study of 605 older persons from 4 rural districts and one urban centre examines socio-demographic determinants of mobility of older persons in Uganda. The findings from a binary logistic regression indicates older persons who were female, uneducated, with no migrant children, with land and lived in thatched houses were more likely to have mobility difficulty than those who were male, more educated, with out-migrant children and landless. It is recommended that an osteoporosis wing be set up in the country’s public health units, age -friendly urban centres be developed and a special old age fund be established. Introduction Mobility difficulty is rife among older persons in Uganda; a country whose health and transport systems are still developing. In the remote parts of the country, absence of age-friendly transport infrastructure could compound older persons’ mobility challenge. Mobility difficulty is therefore indicative of not only health challenges but also other social and economic constraints. For example in hilly areas, mobility difficulty is a huge impediment to engagement in economic activities. Older persons are unlikely to climb steep slopes and fetch firewood; something that they used to do with comparative ease during their prime ages. Similarly, persons having feet joint ill-health could be unable to readily travel to health centres. Although some information on later life mobility difficulty exists, less is known about associated risk factors. This study bridges the gap by examining the socio-demographic determinants. Data and methods The paper uses primary data from a cross-sectional study entitled Determinants of value and challenges of older persons in Uganda that was conducted in March 2012. In the study, stratification was used to select four districts from four strata that comprise the major national zones of the country namely Central, Eastern, Northern and Western regions. Using simple random sampling, four rural districts were selected from the four regions. In addition, Kampala City was purposively selected as the fifth regional stratum to represent the urban sector.