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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Longitudinal study of physical ability in the oldest-old | | Author(s) | Tamara Harris, Mary Grace Kovar, Richard Suzman |
| Journal title | American Journal of Public Health, vol 79, no 6, 1989 |
| Pages | pp 698-702 |
| Keywords | Over 70s ; Physical capacity ; Mobility ; Longitudinal surveys ; United States of America. |
| Annotation | Based on 1984 data from the US Longitudinal Study on Aging, one-third of Whites in a sample of 1,791 aged 80 or over living in the community were defined as having no difficulty in walking a quarter of a mile, lifting 10 pounds, climbing 10 steps without resting, or in stooping, crouching or kneeling. Physical ability was associated with: lower risk of death; and in survivors, lower use of hospitals and nursing homes compared with those having difficulty on any of the four functional measures included in the definition of physical ability. 50% of the women and 42% of the men physically able at the time of the original survey in 1984 remained physically able at follow-up in 1986. Continued physical ability in this group was associated with: never having had cardiovascular disease; never having had arthritic complaints; a body mass index of less than the 75th percentile; younger age; and higher level of education. These correlates include factors amenable to preventive measures, and highlight the need to consider the heterogeneity of the oldest-old in formulating programmes aimed at prevention and postponement of disability. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-980623229 A |
| Classmark | BBK: BI: C4: 3J: 7T * |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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