title: Motor Function Is Associated With Incident Disability in Older African Americans.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Disability in older African American adults is common, but its basis is unclear. We tested the hypothesis that the level of motor function is associated with incident disability in older African Americans after adjusting for cognition.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective observational cohort study of 605 older community-dwelling African American adults without dementia was carried out. Baseline global motor score summarized 11 motor performances, cognition was based on 19 cognitive tests, and self-reported disability was obtained annually. We examined the association of motor function with incident disability (instrumental activities of daily living [IADL], activities of daily living [ADL], and mobility disability) with a series of Cox proportional hazards models which controlled for age, sex, and education.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Average follow-up was about 5 years. In proportional hazards models, a 1-SD increase in baseline level of global motor score was associated with about a 50% decrease in the risk of subsequent IADL, ADL, and mobility disability (all p values < .001). These associations were unchanged in analyses controlling for cognition and other covariates. Further, the association of global motor score and incident ADL disability varied with the level of cognition (estimate -5.541, SE 1.634, p < .001), such that higher motor function was more protective at higher levels of cognition. Mobility and dexterity components of global motor score were more strongly associated with incident disability than strength (all p values < .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Better motor function in older African Americans is associated with a decreased risk of developing disability. Moreover, the association of motor function and disability is stronger in individuals with better cognitive function.
authors.affiliation: Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Department of Neurological Sciences, and Aron_S_Buchman@rush.edu.
authors.forename: Aron S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Buchman
authors.affiliation: Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Department of Neurological Sciences, and Department of Behavioral Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Department of Neurological Sciences, and.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Department of Neurological Sciences, and Department of Behavioral Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Patricia A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Boyle
authors.affiliation: Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Department of Neurological Sciences, and.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.affiliation: Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Department of Neurological Sciences, and Department of Behavioral Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Lisa L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Barnes
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D057566:Self Report
keywords: African Americans; Aging; Cognition; Disability; Motor function