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Low Income Older Americans Have More Physical
Limitations Than Wealthier Peers
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Brief Description:
Low-income Americans aged 55 to 84 are more likely to suffer limitations
in their physical activities than their wealthier peers.
Transcript:
THORNTON: According to a study conducted by the National
Institute on Aging, low-income Americans aged 55 to 84 are more likely
to suffer limitations in their physical activities than their wealthier
peers. The study also found that adults aged 55 to 64 who live below
the poverty line were six times more likely to say they experience functional
limitations-such as walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting or carrying-than
the wealthiest group in the study. Furthermore, the study showed that
the odds of having these functional limitations drops with each incremental
increase in income, up to age 84. Dr. Jack Guralnik, acting chief of
the Laboratory of Epidemiology, Demography and Biometry at the NIA, talked
about ways of translating these study results into ways to improve the
living standards for older adults.
GURALNIK: We have to first of all improve people's
understanding and appreciation for the fact that people who do have lower
income — in general, lower socioeconomic status — are at greater risk
of mortality of many conditions that are important in old age and also
disability. In order to actually intervene in lower income people we
need to develop programs that really can focus on them that have specific
capabilities to reach lower income individuals and to specifically meet
their needs.
THORNTON: The study showed that the rate of disability
decreased one to two percent each year during the 80s and 90s when trends
were last reported. The rate of decline was smaller among those in the
poorest socioeconomic groups. The results of this research can be found
in the August 17th issue of The New England Journal
of Medicine. From
the National Institutes of Health, I'm Matt Thornton in Bethesda Maryland.
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| Date:08/25/2006 |
Reporter:
Matt Thornton |
Sound
Bite:
Dr. Jack Guralnik |
Topic:
Aging |
| Institute(s): NIA |
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