Socioeconomic position and incident mobility impairment in the Cardiovascular Health Study.

Background: We investigated if personal socioeconomic position (SEP) factors and neighborhood characteristics were associated with incident mobility impairment in the elderly.

Methods: We used data from the Cardiovascular Health Study, a longitudinal, population-based examination of coronary heart disease and stroke among persons aged 65 and older in the United States.

Results: Among 3,684 persons without baseline mobility impairment, lower baseline SEP was associated with increased risk of incident mobility disability during the 10-year follow-up period, although the strengths of these associations varied by socioeconomic indicator and race/sex group.

Neighborhood environment and loss of physical function in older adults: evidence from the Alameda County Study.

Research suggests that neighborhood environment may influence functional health at an older age. This study examined the association between neighborhood problems and incidence of overall and lower-extremity functional loss. A total of 883 participants in the Alameda County Study who were aged 55 years and older and functionally healthy were questioned in 1994 and 1995 as part of an ongoing cohort study.