title: Fifteen-year disability trends among older persons in the Beijing municipality of China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to examine disability trends among men and women aged 70+ in Beijing, China; determine whether trends are impacted upon by changes in population composition; and investigate whether trends are experienced similarly across socio-demographic subgroups.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen-year panel data were used to model probability of reporting activities of daily living (ADLs) disability adjusting for age, sex, marital status, residence, and education. Predicted probabilities and average annual percent change in probabilities are reported.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed increasing disability trends experienced by men, and stable or decreasing trends by women. Trends would be less favorable had education of older population not increased over time. Trends are much worse when bathing is excluded as an ADLs item. This is because trends in bathing were favorable whereas trends in other activities were not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  On balance, results are not overly encouraging for reductions in population-level disability given population aging and increasing life expectancy in China. But, future increasing education could mitigate some increases in disability rates.
authors: University of California, San Francisco, USA.
authors: Zachary
authors: Z
authors: Zimmer
authors: Xianghua
authors: X
authors: Fang
authors: Zhe
authors: Z
authors: Tang
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002681:China; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: Asia; China; activities of daily living; disability trends; population aging