Socioeconomic Status and Functional Ability Among Older Adults

Abstract: This research examines the health-SES link, specifically as regards the process of disability in older adults as regards difficulty with physical actions. The AHEAD longitudinal survey includes information n physical actions as well as finances and health behaviors. The data offers the opportunity to analyze the specific functional trajectories of the respondents through the first two waves of data collection.

Net worth proved a better indicator of health function over time than was annual household income. Health behaviors, such as exercising, not smoking, controlling weight, and temperate drinking did moderate the relationship between net worth and functional abilities. This group is mostly free of functional limitations, and between 18-40% of older adults with functional limitations do recover from the first wave to the second.

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