Aging With Disability for Midlife and Older Adults.

This analysis brings "aging with disability" into middle and older ages. We study U.S.

"Taking a Turn for the Better": Does Self-reported Recovery From Walking Limitation Improve Disability and Mortality Outcomes?

Objectives: Recovery from self-reported walking limitation may be a turning point in an individual's health trajectory and may lead to better physical and mental health in the future. This research examines whether recovery from walking limitation is associated with onset of mobility disability, activities of daily living (ADLs) disability, or mortality among a national sample of older Americans.

Data And Methods: Using Waves 4 through 11 (1998-2012) of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), discrete-time event history models (N = 12,579 person-intervals) with multiple competing events were estimated using multinomial logistic regression.

Neighborhood Disorder, Perceived Social Cohesion, and Social Participation Among Older Americans: Findings From the National Health & Aging Trends Study.

Objective: This research explores whether physical neighborhood disorder or perceived social cohesion is associated with participation in social activities among older Americans (age 65+).

Method: Using the first wave of the National Health & Aging Trends Study (NHATS; N = 6,383), a series of logistic regression models were created to assess the odds of participation.

Results: Low social cohesion was associated with decreased odds of visiting friends and family (odds ratio [OR] = 0.

In Sickness and in Health? Physical Illness as a Risk Factor for Marital Dissolution in Later Life.

The health consequences of marital dissolution are well known, but little work has examined the impact of health on the risk of marital dissolution. We use a sample of 2,701 marriages from the Health and Retirement Study to examine the role of serious physical illness onset in subsequent marital dissolution via either divorce or widowhood. We use a series of discrete time event history models with competing risks to estimate the impact of husband's and wife's physical illness onset on risk of divorce and widowhood.

Childhood Conditions and Multimorbidity Among Older Adults.

Objectives: This research tests whether childhood conditions are associated with trajectories of chronic conditions among older adults.

Methods: Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (1992-2008), a series of hierarchical linear models are used to estimate number of chronic conditions at survey midpoint and the rate of increase in chronic conditions across 18 years of data.

Results: Results suggest that lower childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and poor childhood health are associated with increased number of chronic conditions; however, childhood SES is no longer associated with chronic conditions after adjustment for adult SES and adult health.

Does Neighborhood Disorder Predict Recovery From Mobility Limitation? Findings From the Health and Retirement Study.

Objective: This research explores whether perceptions of physical neighborhood disorder predict recovery from mobility limitation over a 2-year period and examines whether psychosocial factors (i.e., depressive symptomology and mastery) and physical activity are salient mediators.

In sickness and in health? Physical illness as a risk factor for marital dissolution in later life.

The health consequences of marital dissolution are well known, but little work has examined the impact of health on the risk of marital dissolution. In this study we use a sample of 2,701 marriages from the Health and Retirement Study (1992-2010) to examine the role of serious physical illness onset (i.e.

The "long arm" of childhood health: linking childhood disability to late midlife mental health.

A growing body of research underscores the early origins of health in later life; however, relatively little is known about the relationship between childhood physical health and adult mental health. This research explores the relationship between childhood disability and depressive symptoms among a nationally representative sample of late midlife adults (N = 3,572). Using data from Waves 8-10 (2006-2010) of the Health and Retirement Study, a series of ordinary least squares regression models were created to assess the number of depressive symptoms.

Social Relationships, Gender, and Recovery From Mobility Limitation Among Older Americans.

Objectives: Evidence suggests social relationships may be important facilitators for recovery from functional impairment, but the extant literature is limited in its measurement of social relationships including an over emphasis on filial social support and a paucity of nationally representative data.

Methods: Using data from Waves 4-9 (1998-2008) of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), this research examines the association between social relationships and recovery from severe mobility limitation (i.e.

Racial and educational disparities in mobility limitation among older women: what is the role of modifiable risk factors?

Objectives: This research explores whether modifiable risk factors (MRFs) are potential mediators and/or moderators of racial/ethnic and educational mobility limitation disparities among older women.

Method: Utilizing Waves 2-9 (1994-2008) of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), discrete-time event history models with multiple competing events were estimated using multinomial logistic regression.

Results: Black women were more likely to develop mobility limitation relative to White women.

Racial Variations of Parity Status as a Predictor of Disability Onset among Old-Old Women.

This research investigates whether the capacity of parity status to predict disability onset varies by race among older women. Data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) (1998-2008) was used, and a series of discrete-time event-history models were estimated using multinomial logistic regression. Disability onset was constructed from five common Activities of Daily Living (ADL) measures (i.

Life course health and socioeconomic profiles of Americans aging with disability.

Background: While cross-sectional data have been invaluable for describing national trends in disability over time, we know comparatively little, at a population level, about the long term experiences of persons living with a disability over the adult life course.

Objective: In this paper we use nationally representative data from the U.S.

The Role of Neighborhood Safety in Recovery from Mobility Limitations: Findings from a National Sample of Older Americans (1996-2008).

Prior research has documented a link between perceived neighborhood safety and functional limitations including incident mobility limitation, yet no research has explored the association between perceived neighborhood safety and recovery from functional limitations. This study investigates whether perceived neighborhood safety independently predicts recovery. Using longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) (1996-2008), discrete-time event history models with multiple competing events were estimated using multinomial logistic regression.

Self-rated health and morbidity onset among late midlife U.S. adults.

Objectives: Although self-rated health (SRH) is recognized as a strong and consistent predictor of mortality and functional health decline, there are relatively few studies examining SRH as a predictor of morbidity. This study examines the capacity of SRH to predict the onset of chronic disease among the late midlife population (ages 51-61 years).

Method: Utilizing the first 9 waves (1992-2008) of the Health and Retirement Study, event history analysis was used to estimate the effect of SRH on incidence of 6 major chronic diseases (coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke, lung disease, arthritis, and cancer) among those who reported none of these conditions at baseline (N = 4,770).

Progressive and accelerated disability onset by race/ethnicity and education among late midlife and older adults.

Objective: This study explores the pace of severe disability onset with an emphasis on the role of race/ethnicity and education. More specifically, this research examines whether race/ethnicity and educational attainment are independent predictors of progressive and accelerated disability onset.

Method: Using the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) Waves 2 to 10 (1994-2010), a series of discrete-time Cox proportional hazards models with multiple competing events were created to ascertain whether respondents developed progressive or accelerated disability in subsequent waves.