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. This disparity was partially mediated by body mass index. Educational disparities were also observed, yet MRFs did not appreciably influence this disparity. The effect of vigorous physical activity on mobility limitation onset varied by race; physical activity was not as protective for Black women compared with White women. Being overweight appeared to weaken the benefit of additional years of education.

Discussion: These results reiterate the importance of health promotion via MRFs; however, they also illustrate that the effect of MRFs on mobility limitation varies by race and education among older women, which has implications for health professionals interested in functional health interventions. Future recommendations include the development of interventions and health promotion aimed at increasing participation in positive health behaviors that address salient social factors among at-risk older women.