A Theoretical Framework for Relating Natural Movement to Length and Quality of Life in Human and Non-human Animals

Natural movement is clearly related to health, however, it is also highly complex and difficult to measure. Most attempts to measure it focus on functional movements in humans, and while this a valid and popular approach, assays focussed on particular movements cannot capture the range of natural movement that occurs outside them. It is also difficult to use current techniques to compare movement across different animal species. This type of interspecies comparison may be useful for identifying conserved computational principles of movement that guide human and veterinary medicine, plus several other fields of research. It is therefore important that research develops a system for quantifying movement in freely moving animals in natural environments and relating it to length and quality of life. The present text proposes a theoretical framework for doing so, within which movement is defined as movement ability (MA). MA is comprised of three major variables – Movement Quality, Movement Complexity, and Movement Quantity – that may be used to capture what are perhaps the most important components of movement as it relates to length and quality of life. The framework requires validation, however, it represents a novel and potentially important paradigm for considering movement, which may influence how present and future work is conducted.