Cohabitation status and onset of disability among older Danes: is social participation a possible mediator?
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of cohabitation status in older men and women on (a) onset of disability at 3- and 4.5-year follow-up and (b) changes in functional ability between 3- and 4.5-year follow-up, and to analyze whether this effect was mediated by social participation.


METHODS
A total of 2,533 nondisabled older men and women enrolled in the Danish Intervention Study on Preventive Home Visits constituted the study population. Data were collected by mailed questionnaires in 1998-1999, 2000, 2001-2002, and 2003.


RESULTS
Living alone significantly increased the risk of onset of disability (T3 OR = 1.60[1.06-2.43], T4 OR = 1.74[1.22-2.47]) and the risk of sustained poor functional ability (OR = 2.35[1.44-3.84]) among men, but not among single-living women. Social participation mediated only a small part of the effect of cohabitation status on functional ability.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results underline the importance of cohabitation/marriage for maintaining a high functional ability among older men.
Nilsson
Charlotte Juul
CJ
Department of Social Medicine, Institute of Public Health Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen K. c.nilsson@socmed.ku.dk
Lund
Rikke
R
Avlund
Kirsten
K
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003718:Denmark; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012931:Social Environment; D012944:Social Support