title: Functional disability among elderly blacks and whites in two diverse areas: the New Haven and North Carolina EPESE. Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly.
abstract: This study examines the prevalence of functional disability (limitation in at least one basic activity of daily living) among elderly Black and White community residents in the New Haven (n = 2812) and North Carolina (n = 4162) sites of the Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (EPESE). In New Haven, elderly Blacks, particularly women below age 75, had a higher prevalence of disability compared with Whites, which was partially attributable to a higher prevalence of chronic conditions. In North Carolina, Blacks had only a slightly higher risk of being disabled than Whites, and this was fully accounted for by differences in socioeconomic status. Black-White differences in the prevalence of functional disability reveal geographic variation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520-8034, USA.
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Mendes de Leon
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Fillenbaum
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Brock
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Beckett
authors.forename: L F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Berkman
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D003237:Connecticut; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009657:North Carolina; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*