Functional decline over 2 years in older Spanish adults: Evidence from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe

Abstract

Aim To evaluate the social, educational, health and behavioral predictors of physical functional decline in older Spanish adults. Methods Two-year longitudinal study based on 699 community-dwelling Spanish adults over 65 year-old participating in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement of Europe (SHARE). Several predictors of a combined measure of functional disability were examined using logistic regressions. Results A decline in function was experienced by 166 individuals. Functional decline in men was associated with increased number of chronic diseases (OR= 2.25, 95%CI 1.21–4.19) and depressive symptoms (OR= 5.05, 95%CI 2.42–10.54) over a two-year period, while among women it was associated with decreased numeracy score (OR= 1.88, 95%CI 1.05–3.34). Conclusions Longitudinal changes in predictors are strongly associated with longitudinal changes in function between baseline and a two-year follow-up, most clearly among men. A decrease in cognitive functioning and increased depressive symptoms are associated with a decline in physical functioning and can serve as useful clinical predictors to prevent disability in older Spanish adults.

Homebound status among middle-aged and older adults with disabilities in ADLs and its associations with clinical, functional, and environmental factors

“…These characteristics are common in the group of people with disabilities in ADLs. [19][20][21][22] The comparisons between the results with previous research are complicated due to the considerable differences in the study populations and the heterogeneity of the definitions of homebound status. 6 Not surprisingly, increasing age was significantly associated with being a homebound person, consistent with previous research conducted with older people.…”

Anthropometric, functional capacity, and oxidative stress changes in Brazilian community-living elderly subjects. A longitudinal study

“…No risk factors were identified for ADL decline in our study. Longitudinal trials and systematic reviews also identified predictive or risk factors for functional decline related to increased age (ADL, IADL) (Balzi et al, 2010;den Ouden et al, 2013;Rodrigues et al, 2009), female gender (ADL) (den Ouden et al, 2013), depression symptoms (Lêng & Wang, 2013;Rodríguez López et al, 2013;Stuck et al, 1999), hypertension (ADL, IADL) (Balzi et al, 2010;Rodríguez López et al, 2013) and arthritis (ADL) (den Ouden et al, 2013).…”

“…Smoking (Stuck et al, 1999), low education (Rodrigues, Facchini, Thume, & Maia, 2013), age (Balzi et al, 2010;den Ouden, Schuurmans, Mueller-Schotte et al, 2013;Rodrigues et al, 2009), female gender (den Ouden et al, 2013), depression symptoms (Lêng & Wang, 2013;Rodríguez López, Montero, Carmenate, & Avendano, 2013;Stuck et al, 1999), hypertension (Balzi et al, 2010;Rodríguez López et al, 2013) and arthritis (den Ouden et al, 2013) are factors that have also been linked to functional decline in follow-up studies. However, to the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to investigate the relationship among anthropometric measurements, functional capacity scores, socioeconomic status, medical conditions and blood oxidative stress markers in community-dwelling elderly.…”

Comorbidity as a predictor of mortality and mobility after hip fracture

“…An important factor in the mortality rate in older adults, has been shown to be the maintaining of the person's functional capacity, and the loss of this is associated with higher morbidity …”