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Chronic medical conditions and the sex-based disparity in disability: the Cardiovascular Health Study.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Whitson, HE; Landerman, LR; Newman, AB; Fried, LP; Pieper, CF; Cohen, HJ
Published in: J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci
December 2010

BACKGROUND: Older women experience disability more commonly than their male peers. This disparity may be due, in part, to sex-based differences in the prevalence or the disabling effects of common medical conditions. The objectives of this analysis were to (a) quantify the extent to which excess disability in women is explained by higher prevalence of selected medical conditions and (b) evaluate whether the same conditions have differing effects on disability in men and women. METHODS: We analyzed cross-sectional data from 5,888 community-dwelling older men and women. Disability was defined as difficulty with greater than or equal to one activity of daily living. Thirteen medical conditions were assessed by self-report, testing, or record review. RESULTS: Controlling for age, race, education, and marital status, women were more likely to experience disability (odds ratio = 1.70, 95% confidence interval = 1.36-2.11). Higher prevalence of arthritis and obesity in women explained 30.2% and 12.9%, respectively, of the sex-based difference in disability rates, whereas male prevalent diseases like vascular conditions and emphysema narrowed the disability gap. Women with arthritis, hearing problems, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, and claudication were more likely to exhibit disability compared with men with the same conditions (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Efforts to lessen sex-based inequality in disability should focus on reducing the prevalence of arthritis and obesity. Future generations may see greater functional disparity if rates of vascular disease and emphysema rise among women. Several conditions were more often associated with disability in women, suggesting additional sex-based differences in the disablement process.

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Published In

J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci

DOI

EISSN

1758-535X

Publication Date

December 2010

Volume

65

Issue

12

Start / End Page

1325 / 1331

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Sex Distribution
  • Prevalence
  • Obesity
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Hearing Disorders
  • Gerontology
  • Female
  • Emphysema
  • Disabled Persons
 

Citation

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ICMJE
MLA
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Whitson, H. E., Landerman, L. R., Newman, A. B., Fried, L. P., Pieper, C. F., & Cohen, H. J. (2010). Chronic medical conditions and the sex-based disparity in disability: the Cardiovascular Health Study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci, 65(12), 1325–1331. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glq139
Whitson, Heather E., Lawrence R. Landerman, Anne B. Newman, Linda P. Fried, Carl F. Pieper, and Harvey Jay Cohen. “Chronic medical conditions and the sex-based disparity in disability: the Cardiovascular Health Study.J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 65, no. 12 (December 2010): 1325–31. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glq139.
Whitson HE, Landerman LR, Newman AB, Fried LP, Pieper CF, Cohen HJ. Chronic medical conditions and the sex-based disparity in disability: the Cardiovascular Health Study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2010 Dec;65(12):1325–31.
Whitson, Heather E., et al. “Chronic medical conditions and the sex-based disparity in disability: the Cardiovascular Health Study.J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci, vol. 65, no. 12, Dec. 2010, pp. 1325–31. Pubmed, doi:10.1093/gerona/glq139.
Whitson HE, Landerman LR, Newman AB, Fried LP, Pieper CF, Cohen HJ. Chronic medical conditions and the sex-based disparity in disability: the Cardiovascular Health Study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2010 Dec;65(12):1325–1331.
Journal cover image

Published In

J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci

DOI

EISSN

1758-535X

Publication Date

December 2010

Volume

65

Issue

12

Start / End Page

1325 / 1331

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Sex Distribution
  • Prevalence
  • Obesity
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Hearing Disorders
  • Gerontology
  • Female
  • Emphysema
  • Disabled Persons