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Functional decline over 2 years in older S panish adults: Evidence from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe
Author(s) -
Rodríguez López Santiago,
Montero Pilar,
Carmenate Margarita,
Avendano Mauricio
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
geriatrics and gerontology international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1447-0594
pISSN - 1444-1586
DOI - 10.1111/ggi.12115
Subject(s) - medicine , gerontology , longitudinal study , depressive symptoms , cognitive decline , healthy aging , ageing , logistic regression , healthy ageing , successful aging , health and retirement study , demography , cognition , dementia , psychiatry , disease , pathology , sociology
Aim To evaluate the social, educational, health and behavioral predictors of physical functional decline in older S panish adults. Methods A 2‐year longitudinal study based on 699 community‐dwelling S panish adults aged over 65 years participating in the S urvey of H ealth, A geing and R etirement in E urope was carried out. 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 an 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 2‐year period, whereas 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 2‐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 S panish adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2014; 14: 403–412.