Reductions in disability prevalence among the highest income groups of older Brazilians.
OBJECTIVE
We sought to identify the income-disability prevalence relationship among older Brazilians.


METHODS
Data were from 63,985 individuals 60 years and older from the 1998 and 2003 Brazilian National Household Surveys. Generalized additive logistic models with cubic regression splines were used to estimate the disability-income relationships.


RESULTS
There was a strong linear relationship between increased income and reduced disability prevalence for most of the income distribution. Benefits were still present above the 90th percentile of income but were more modest. Because incomes among the wealthiest few are disproportionately large, odds ratios of disability nevertheless showed marked improvements, even across the very highest income groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Among older Brazilians, reduced disability is associated with higher income, and these associations are present even above the 90th percentile of income. In addition to understanding mechanisms of disability reduction among impoverished individuals, work is needed to understand these mechanisms in middle- and high-income groups.
Parahyba
Maria Isabel
MI
Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística, Coordenação de População e Indicadores Sociais, Av. República do Chile, 500/8 degrees andar, Centro, Rio de Janeiro, 20031-170, Brazil. isabel.parahyba@ibge.gov.br
Stevens
Kara
K
Henley
William
W
Lang
Iain A
IA
Melzer
David
D
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011203:Poverty; D015995:Prevalence; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors