Age Distribution and Risk Factors for the Onset of Severe Disability Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Functional Limitations
- 29 June 2007
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Journal of Applied Gerontology
- Vol. 26 (3), 258-273
- https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464807300566
Abstract
This study examines age distribution and risk factors for the onset of severe disability among community-dwelling older adults with functional limitations. Data were obtained from the initial community-dwelling sample (n = 6,088) of the National Long-Term Care Survey in 1982 and the follow-up interviews in 1984, 1989, 1994, and 1999. Multiple proportional hazard regression was conducted using age at onset of severe disability as the dependent variable. Explanatory variables included chronic diseases and sociodemographic and personal characteristics. Of the 3,485 elders who were not severely disabled initially, 1,364 were identified as developing severe disability over time. The onset age ranged from 66 to 109 years with the peak occurring at 82 to 83 years. The predictors for earlier onset of severe disability were paralysis, arthritis, obesity, hypertension, and middle education level (Grades 9-12). These findings provide practical implications for identifying at-risk individuals and developing health behavior interventions to delay onset of severe disability.Keywords
This publication has 20 references indexed in Scilit:
- Emerging Services for Community-Based Long-Term Care in Urban ChinaJournal of Aging & Social Policy, 2005
- Designing Randomized, Controlled Trials Aimed at Preventing or Delaying Functional Decline and Disability in Frail, Older Persons: A Consensus ReportJournal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2004
- Changes in the prevalence of chronic disability in the United States black and nonblack population above age 65 from 1982 to 1999Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2001
- Disability in Older Adults: Evidence Regarding Significance, Etiology, and RiskJournal of the American Geriatrics Society, 1997
- The disablement processSocial Science & Medicine (1982), 1994
- High, usual and impaired functioning in community-dwelling older men and women: Findings from the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on successful agingJournal of Clinical Epidemiology, 1993
- Estimates of Change in Chronic Disability and Institutional Incidence and Prevalence Rates in the U.S Elderly Population From the 1982, 1984, and 1989 National Long Term Care SurveyJournal of Gerontology, 1993
- Maintaining Mobility in Late Life. I. Demographic Characteristics and Chronic ConditionsAmerican Journal of Epidemiology, 1993
- Disability-Free Life among the Elderly in the United StatesJournal of Aging and Health, 1992
- Studies of Illness in the AgedJAMA, 1963