ArticleThe journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences2013
Decline in health for older adults: five-year change in 13 key measures of standardized health.
Article in The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 52 papers.
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Who cites it
52 citing papers in PubMed.
- Local, collaborative, stepped, and personalized care management for older people with chronic diseases - results from the randomized controlled LoChro-trial.BMC geriatrics · 2023Trial
- The effectiveness of functional task exercise and physical therapy as prevention of functional decline in community dwelling older people with complex health problems.BMC geriatrics · 2018Trial
- Association between balance ability and memory function in community-dwelling older adults: A cross-sectional study.Medicine · 2026Article
- Evaluation of a Digital Intervention to Improve the Health Outcomes of Older Adults: Secondary Data Analysis.Journal of participatory medicine · 2026Article
- Cumulative Effects of Multiple Modifiable Risk Factors on Cardiovascular Disease Mortality.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- "I'm more confident now than I ever used to be": a preliminary qualitative study of British older adults' perception and experience of aging positively.The Gerontologist · 2025Article
- Prevalence of functional disability and associated factors among older people in Vietnam: a secondary data analysis.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Procrastination, depressive symptomatology, and loneliness in later life.Aging & mental health · 2024Article
- Article
- Inequalities in health-related quality of life and functional health of an aging population: A Canadian community perspective.PloS one · 2024Article
- Digital Marker for Early Screening of Mild Cognitive Impairment Through Hand and Eye Movement Analysis in Virtual Reality Using Machine Learning: First Validation Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Article
- Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Association Between Gait Speed, Ankle Proprioception, and LE Numbness-Results From the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.Journal of aging and physical activity · 2023Article
- Social support and links to quality of life among middle-aged and older autistic adults.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2023Article
- Occupational Therapy Role in Improving Health and Slowing down age-related declines: A systematic review.Rwanda journal of medicine and health sciences · 2022Review
- Ergonomic and individual risk factors for musculoskeletal pain in the ageing workforce.BMC public health · 2022Article
- Associations Between Smoking Status and Physical and Mental Health-Related Quality of Life Among Individuals With Mobility Impairments.Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine · 2022Article
- Gradient and Acceleration of Decline in Physical and Cognitive Functions in Older Adults: A Disparity Analysis.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2022Article
- Grip Strength Trajectories and Cognition in English and Chilean Older Adults: A Cross-Cohort Study.Journal of personalized medicine · 2022Article
- Sleep and Risk for Metabolic Syndrome, Hypertension, Diabetes and Obesity Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults.International journal of exercise science · 2022Article
- Association of Peripheral Lymphocyte Subsets with Cognitive Decline and Dementia: The Cardiovascular Health Study.Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe health of older adults declines over time, but there are many ways of measuring health. It is unclear whether all health measures decline at the same rate or whether some aspects of health are less sensitive to aging than others.
methodsWe compared the decline in 13 measures of physical, mental, and functional health from the Cardiovascular Health Study: hospitalization, bed days, cognition, extremity strength, feelings about life as a whole, satisfaction with the purpose of life, self-rated health, depression, digit symbol substitution test, grip strength, activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, and gait speed. Each measure was standardized against self-rated health. We compared the 5-year change to see which of the 13 measures declined the fastest and the slowest.
resultsThe 5-year change in standardized health varied from a decline of 12 points (out of 100) for hospitalization to a decline of 17 points for gait speed. In most comparisons, standardized health from hospitalization and bed days declined the least, whereas health measured by activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, and gait speed declined the most. These rankings were independent of age, sex, mortality patterns, and the method of standardization.
conclusionsAll of the health variables declined, on average, with advancing age, but at significantly different rates. Standardized measures of mental health, cognition, quality of life, and hospital utilization did not decline as fast as gait speed, activities of daily living, and instrumental activities of daily living. Public health interventions to address problems with gait speed, activities of daily living, and instrumental activities of daily living may help older adults to remain healthier in all dimensions.
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