News Release
Middle-Aged Americans Reporting More Mobility-Related Disabilities
Apr 6, 2010
Trends in Disability and Related Chronic Conditions Among People Ages Fifty to Sixty-Four
Published In: Health Affairs, v. 29, no. 4, Apr. 2010, p. 725-731
Posted on RAND.org on January 01, 2010
Read More
Access further information on this document at Project HOPEThis article was published outside of RAND. The full text of the article can be found at the link above.
Although still below two percent, the proportion of people ages 50-64 who reported needing help with personal care activities increased significantly from 1997 to 2007. The proportions needing help with routine household chores indicating difficulty with physical functions were stable. These patterns contrast with reported declines in disability among the population age 65 and older. Particularly concerning among those ages 50-64 are significant increases of limitation in specific mobility-related activities, such as getting into and out of bed. Musculoskeletal conditions remained the most commonly cited causes of disability at these ages. There were also substantial increases in the attributions of disability to depression, diabetes, and nervous system conditions for this age group.
Access further information on this document at Project HOPE
This article was published outside of RAND. The full text of the article can be found at the link above.
Related Products
This report is part of the RAND Corporation External publication series. Many RAND studies are published in peer-reviewed scholarly journals, as chapters in commercial books, or as documents published by other organizations.
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.