Functional disability among elderly blacks and whites in two diverse areas: the New Haven and North Carolina EPESE

This study examines the prevalence of functional disability (limitation in at least one basic activity of daily living) among elderly Black and White community residents in the New Haven (n = 2812) and North Carolina (n = 4162) sites of the Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (EPESE). In New Haven, elderly Blacks, particularly women below age 75, had a higher prevalence of disability compared with Whites, which was partially attributable to a higher prevalence of chronic conditions. In North Carolina, Blacks had only a slightly higher risk of being disabled than Whites, and this was fully accounted for by differences in socioeconomic status. Black-White differences in the prevalence of functional disability reveal geographic variation. (Am J Public Health. 1995; 85:994-998)
Elderly blacks are more likely to have functional disabilities than whites. Researchers compared data on elderly living in two different geographic areas. One group consisted of 2748 people aged 65 and over living in New Haven and the other group consisted of 4162 elderly persons living in North Carolina, half in an urban county. Interviews were conducted in 1982 and 1986, respectively. Blacks were more likely to have difficulty with daily living than whites, but the gap was smaller in North Carolina than in New Haven. In both areas disabled elderly blacks tended to be younger, less educated, poorer, and have more mental disability. Elderly black women tended to weigh more and were more likely to have two or more chronic conditions. Socioeconomic factors accounted completely for the increased likelihood of disability among North Carolina blacks but not among New Haven blacks. The discrepancy between whites and blacks tended to increase with age, especially among women.