title: Course and prognostic factors of disability in community-dwelling older people with mild disability: the Rotterdam Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the prognosis of disability of community-dwelling older people with mild disability at baseline.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used data from the Rotterdam Study: a community-based prospective cohort study of community-dwelling older people. We evaluated sociodemographic factors, lifestyle variables, health conditions and disability status at baseline and follow-up after 6 years. Disability was defined as a score on the Health Assessment Questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At baseline the population consisted of 1166 older people with mild disability with a mean age of 69.7 (55-93) years. At follow-up 18% of the study population recovered from mild disability, 20% stayed mildly disabled, 31% became severely disabled, while 32% were deceased. At follow-up relatively more men died while more women had a worsened disability. Age and income were predictors of disability decrease. Alcohol use seemed to be significantly protective against death.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Just a few prognostic factors appeared to be related to disability 6 years later.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Umit
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Taş
authors.forename: Arianne P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Verhagen
authors.forename: Sita M A
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Bierma-Zeinstra
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hofman
authors.forename: Huib A P
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Pols
authors.forename: Bart W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Koes
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies