ArticleBMC geriatrics2026
Multimorbidity and functioning disparities in retired older adults: longitudinal trajectories, disease clusters, and mediating mechanisms.
Article in BMC geriatrics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMultimorbidity is a major determinant of older adults’ functioning, yet its long-term pathways and underlying mechanisms remain insufficiently understood. Retired older adults face unique vulnerabilities due to declining occupational activity, reduced socioeconomic buffers, and increased dependence on functional capacity. This study examines how multimorbidity shapes functioning over sixteen years and whether Body Mass Index (BMI) mediates these association functioning and well-being in functioning and well-being in .
methodsData from older adults aged 60 and over, in the Health and Retirement Study (2004–2020) were analyzed using growth curve models to estimate baseline levels and rates of change in functioning (N = 1,238), mixed-effects models to assess disease cluster, sex and race effects (N = 1,238), and conditional process analyses to test BMI mediation (N = 8,654).
resultsMultimorbidity is associated with reduced baseline functioning in the physical functioning and disability domains, but did not accelerate decline across all domains, indicating that the principal disadvantage emerges early and persists over time. Mixed-effects models showed strong negative and domain-specific associations, with musculoskeletal conditions most strongly associated with impairing physical functioning and respiratory conditions exerting the greatest association with disability. Significant sex and racial disparities were observed, with females and minority groups exhibiting consistently poorer functioning. BMI partially mediated the effects of multimorbidity on physical and cognitive functioning, with indirect effects strengthening modestly over the baseline and terminal periods. However, the disability domain was not mediated, suggesting that disability reflects more entrenched functional losses.
conclusionsMultimorbidity shapes functioning primarily through early deficits and disease cluster-specific pathways. BMI represents a modifiable mechanism that can enhance physical and cognitive functioning, supporting interventions focused on weight management, tailored chronic-disease care, and equity-centered strategies to preserve functioning and promote healthy aging among retired older adults.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.