Sl. Bernard et al., PREDICTING MORTALITY FROM COMMUNITY SURVEYS OF OLDER ADULTS - THE IMPORTANCE OF SELF-RATED FUNCTIONAL ABILITY, The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences, 52(3), 1997, pp. 155-163
Using data from the 1990 baseline of the National Survey of Self-Care
and Aging (NSSCA), and nearly three years of follow-up mortality data,
we examined the association between self-rated functional ability, a
global measure of perceived ability to function independently, and mor
tality among a national sample of older adults. The study included 3,4
85 subjects selected from the Medicare Beneficiary Files according to
a stratified random sampling design, with approximately equal numbers
of adults by gender in each of three age categories, 65-74, 75-84, and
85 and over. Self-rated functional ability was found to have an indep
endent contribution to the subsequent risk of death among older adults
. Using multivariate models that accounted for self-rated health, age,
gender, medical conditions, functional status, and assistance from ot
hers, poor self-ratings on this single item nearly doubled the risk of
death during the follow-up period. These findings suggest the importa
nce, for both researchers and clinicians, of measuring the potential p
rognostic importance of self-ratings of health and self-ratings of fun
ctional ability among older adults.