IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0164565.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Are Functional and Activity Limitations Becoming More Prevalent among 55 to 69-Year-Olds in the United States?

Author

Listed:
  • HwaJung Choi
  • Robert F Schoeni
  • Linda G Martin

Abstract

Objectives: This study examines changes in functional and activity limitations 1998–2012 for individuals 55–69. Methods: Logistic models are used to estimate trends in limitations in vision, hearing, physical and cognitive functioning, IADLs, and ADLs. Additional models assess the extent to which trends are associated with and differ by education, smoking, and BMI. Results: Changes in prevalence of limitations in vision, hearing, cognitive functioning, and ADLs are not statistically significant. Limitations in physical functioning declined by 0.37% per year. IADL limitations increased by 1.33% per year, but most of the increase occurred between 2008 and 2010/2012, and are associated with economic hardship during the Great Recession. Increases in education are especially beneficially associated with trends in limitations, but reductions in smoking also appear to be advantageous for some outcomes. Increases in BMI are associated with trends in physical functioning, IADL, and ADL limitation. Discussion: For Americans 55–69, functional and activity limitations were largely unchanged 1998–2012. Our results suggest that if educational attainment had not increased, most functional and activity limitations potentially could have worsened substantially. Future change in educational attainment is not expected to be so positive. Continued monitoring of trends in activity limitations might well include greater focus on the explanatory roles of environmental factors, including economic circumstances.

Suggested Citation

  • HwaJung Choi & Robert F Schoeni & Linda G Martin, 2016. "Are Functional and Activity Limitations Becoming More Prevalent among 55 to 69-Year-Olds in the United States?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(10), pages 1-14, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0164565
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0164565
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0164565
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0164565&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0164565?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. John Bound & Arline T. Geronimus & Javier M. Rodriguez & Timothy A. Waidmann, "undated". "Measuring Recent Apparent Declines in Longevity: The Role of Increasing Educational Attainment," Mathematica Policy Research Reports 0c715b1386df45edb4d21d33c, Mathematica Policy Research.
    2. Verbrugge, Lois M. & Jette, Alan M., 1994. "The disablement process," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 1-14, January.
    3. Schoeni, R.F. & Martin, L.G. & Andreski, P.M. & Freedman, V.A., 2005. "Persistent and growing socioeconomic disparities in disability among the elderly: 1982-2002," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 95(11), pages 2065-2070.
    4. Eileen M. Crimmins & Jung Ki Kim & Kenneth M. Langa & David R. Weir, 2011. "Assessment of Cognition Using Surveys and Neuropsychological Assessment: The Health and Retirement Study and the Aging, Demographics, and Memory Study," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 66(suppl_1), pages 162-171.
    5. Linda Martin & Robert Schoeni & Patricia Andreski, 2010. "Trends in health of older adults in the United States: Past, present, future," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 47(1), pages 17-40, March.
    6. Anne Case & Angua Deaton, 2015. "Rising morbidity and mortality in midlife among white non-Hispanic Americans in the 21st century," Working Papers 15078.full.pdf, Princeton University, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Research Program in Development Studies..
    7. Edward C. Norton & Morgen M. Miller & Lawrence C. Kleinman, 2013. "Computing adjusted risk ratios and risk differences in Stata," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 13(3), pages 492-509, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Jona Schellekens & Anat Ziv, 2020. "The role of education in explaining trends in self-rated health in the United States, 1972–2018," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 42(12), pages 383-398.
    2. J. Jona Schellekens, 2019. "Explaining Disability Trends in the United States, 1963–2015," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 45(4), pages 819-834, December.
    3. Cho, Tsai-Chin & Park, Bona & Choi, HwaJung, 2023. "Measuring spatial availability of children for older adults with disability," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 335(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Michael Chernew & David M. Cutler & Kaushik Ghosh & Mary Beth Landrum, 2016. "Understanding the Improvement in Disability-Free Life Expectancy in the US Elderly Population," NBER Chapters, in: Insights in the Economics of Aging, pages 161-201, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Timothy A. Waidmann & HwaJung Choi & Robert F. Schoeni & John Bound, 2019. "Recent Trends in Disability and the Implications for Use of Disability Insurance," Working Papers wp406, University of Michigan, Michigan Retirement Research Center.
    3. Laun, Tobias & Markussen, Simen & Vigtel, Trond Christian & Wallenius, Johanna, 2018. "Health, Longevity and Pension Reform," Working Paper Series 2018:9, Uppsala University, Department of Economics.
    4. Zajacova, Anna & Montez, Jennifer Karas, 2018. "Explaining the increasing disability prevalence among mid-life US adults, 2002 to 2016," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 211(C), pages 1-8.
    5. Alan J. Auerbach & Kerwin K. Charles & Courtney C. Coile & William Gale & Dana Goldman & Ronald Lee & Charles M. Lucas & Peter R. Orszag & Louise M. Sheiner & Bryan Tysinger & David N. Weil & Justin W, 2017. "How the Growing Gap in Life Expectancy May Affect Retirement Benefits and Reforms," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 42(3), pages 475-499, July.
    6. Péter Hudomiet & Michael D. Hurd & Susann Rohwedder, 2019. "Trends in Health and Mortality Inequalities in the United States," Working Papers wp401, University of Michigan, Michigan Retirement Research Center.
    7. Hudomiet, Péter & Hurd, Michael D. & Rohwedder, Susann, 2021. "Forecasting mortality inequalities in the U.S. based on trends in midlife health," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    8. Linda G. Martin & Qiushi Feng & Robert F. Schoeni & Yi Zeng, 2014. "Trends in Functional and Activity Limitations among Chinese Oldest-Old, 1998 to 2008," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 40(3), pages 475-495, September.
    9. Arun S. Hendi, 2017. "Trends in Education-Specific Life Expectancy, Data Quality, and Shifting Education Distributions: A Note on Recent Research," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 54(3), pages 1203-1213, June.
    10. Steven A. Haas & Katsuya Oi & Zhangjun Zhou, 2017. "The Life Course, Cohort Dynamics, and International Differences in Aging Trajectories," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 54(6), pages 2043-2071, December.
    11. Adriana Lleras-Muney & Joseph Price & Dahai Yue, 2020. "The Association Between Educational Attainment and Longevity using Individual Level Data from the 1940 Census," NBER Working Papers 27514, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    12. Bowen, Mary Elizabeth, 2009. "Childhood socioeconomic status and racial differences in disability: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study (1998-2006)," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(3), pages 433-441, August.
    13. Leive, Adam A. & Ruhm, Christopher J., 2021. "Has mortality risen disproportionately for the least educated?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    14. Laun, Tobias & Markussen, Simen & Vigtel, Trond Christian & Wallenius, Johanna, 2019. "Health, longevity and retirement reform," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 123-157.
    15. Rodriguez, Javier M., 2018. "Health disparities, politics, and the maintenance of the status quo: A new theory of inequality," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 36-43.
    16. Hui Zheng, 2020. "Unobserved population heterogeneity and dynamics of health disparities," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 43(34), pages 1009-1048.
    17. Jennifer Karas Montez & Anna Zajacova & Mark D. Hayward & Steven H. Woolf & Derek Chapman & Jason Beckfield, 2019. "Educational Disparities in Adult Mortality Across U.S. States: How Do They Differ, and Have They Changed Since the Mid-1980s?," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(2), pages 621-644, April.
    18. Linda G. Martin, 2009. "Interventions to Improve Late Life," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 35(2), pages 331-340, June.
    19. Nicholas J. Bishop & Natalie D. Eggum-Wilkens & Steven A. Haas & Jennie J. Kronenfeld, 2016. "Estimating the Co-Development of Cognitive Decline and Physical Mobility Limitations in Older U.S. Adults," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 53(2), pages 337-364, April.
    20. Rashmita Basu, 2013. "Willingness-to-pay to prevent Alzheimer’s disease: a contingent valuation approach," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 233-245, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0164565. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.