ArticleThe journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences2017
Physical Function in an Aging Population in Rural South Africa: Findings From HAALSI and Cross-National Comparisons With HRS Sister Studies.
Article in The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Association between sociodemographic factors and mobility among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC geriatrics · 2026Pooled it
- Article
- Longitudinal prevalence and correlates of dynapenic abdominal obesity among community-dwelling ageing adults in rural South Africa from 2015 to 2022.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Prevalence and factors associated with short and long sleep duration among community-dwelling persons 40 years and older: longitudinal evidence from rural South Africa, 2015-2022.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2025Article
- Correlates of hand grip strength in a cohort of older Nigerian Africans: Findings from the population-based VALIANT project.The Journal of frailty & aging · 2025Article
- Sociodemographic disparities in awareness of chronic conditions: an observational study among older persons in rural north-east of South Africa.BMJ public health · 2024Article
- Correlates of Gait Speed Among Older Adults From 6 Countries: Findings From the COSMIC Collaboration.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2023Article
- Impact of diabetes on longevity and disability-free life expectancy among older South African adults: A prospective longitudinal analysis.Diabetes research and clinical practice · 2023Article
- Differences in healthy longevity by HIV status and viral load among older South African adults: an observational cohort modelling study.The lancet. HIV · 2022Observational
- Who is at Risk? Social Support, Relationship Dissolution, and Illness in a Rural Context.Sociological inquiry · 2022Article
- Pain Is Widespread and Predicts Poor Mental Health Among Older Adults in Rural Malawi.Innovation in aging · 2022Article
- Do You See What Eye See? Measurement, Correlates, and Functional Associations of Objective and Self-Reported Vision Impairment in Aging South Africans.Journal of aging and health · 2021Article
- Impairment in Activities of Daily Living and Unmet Need for Care Among Older Adults: A Population-Based Study From Burkina Faso.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2021Article
- Article
- A Multi-Dimensional Characterization of Aging and Wellbeing Among HIV-Positive Adults in Malawi.AIDS and behavior · 2021Article
- HIV Status and Antiretroviral Therapy as Predictors of Disability among Older South Africans: Overall Association and Moderation by Body Mass Index.Journal of aging and health · 2020Article
- Self-reported activities of daily living, health and quality of life among older adults in South Africa and Uganda: a cross sectional study.BMC geriatrics · 2020Article
- Self-Reported Physical Activity in Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Rural South Africa: Levels and Correlates.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Patterns of SES Health Disparities Among Older Adults in Three Upper Middle- and Two High-Income Countries.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2019Article
- A Novel Adaptation of the HOME Inventory for Elders: The Importance of the Home Environment Across the Life Course.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesWe use recently-collected data from the Health and Aging in Africa: a Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community in South Africa (HAALSI) cohort from Agincourt, South Africa, to describe physical functioning in this aging population, and place the overall level and age-trajectories of physical health in the context of other Health and Retirement Study (HRS) sister studies in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
methodWe conduct multiple regression to estimate associations of physical functioning assessed from both self-report (activities of daily living [ADL] limitation, self-reported health) and performance (grip strength, gait speed) with socio-demographic and health characteristics in HAALSI, and use fully-interacted regression models to compare age-patterns of physical functioning outcomes cross-nationally.
resultsGender differences in self-reported health are minimal, and men had 30% higher odds of being ADL limited controlling for socio-demographic and health characteristics. Measured physical performance is closely tied with socioeconomic conditions, but self-reported measures have a much smaller or weaker socioeconomic gradient. In international age-adjusted comparisons, the HAALSI sample had lower physical performance outcomes than most comparison populations. DISCUSSION: As the first HRS sister study undertaken in Africa, HAALSI adds vital information on population aging and health in the region. Continuing waves of HAALSI data will be a key resource for understanding differences in the complex processes of disability across LMIC contexts.
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