COMPARATIVE STUDY
JOURNAL ARTICLE
RESEARCH SUPPORT, N.I.H., EXTRAMURAL
RESEARCH SUPPORT, U.S. GOV'T, P.H.S.
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Racial disparities in disability: recent evidence from self-reported and performance-based disability measures in a population-based study of older adults.

OBJECTIVE: Although disability levels have been declining in older adults, there is little current information on racial differences in disability.

METHODS: Our data came from a longitudinal, population-based study of 6,158 Black and White adults aged 65 and older from the south side of Chicago. Data were collected during three face-to-face interviews between 1993 and 2002. We ascertained disability using three self-report measures and a performance-based measure of physical function. Using longitudinal data analysis, we examined overall racial differences in disability and the degree to which they varied by age and gender.

RESULTS: After an average of 6 years of follow-up, Blacks reported significantly higher disability levels than Whites after adjustment for age and sex. There was a significant increase in disability during follow-up on all four measures. Racial differences in disability did not vary consistently by age at baseline or over time but were greater among women. Findings were largely similar for self-reported and performance-based measures of disability. Adjustment for socioeconomic status substantially reduced racial differences in disability, although some of the differences remained significant, especially among women.

CONCLUSION: Racial disparities in disability have not been eliminated, are greater among women, and have their origins earlier in adulthood.

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