PREDICTORS OF MOBILITY AND BASIC ADL DIFFICULTY AMONG ADULTS AGED 70 YEARS AND OLDER

We use data from the 1993-1995 Assets and Health Dynamics of the Oldes t-Old survey to estimate predictors of onset of mobility difficulty, o nset of basic activity of daily living (ADL) difficulty, and improveme nt to no mobility difficulty. Onset of mobility difficulty occurred am ong 20% of those with no difficulty at baseline (n = 2,857) and was mo st likely among those 85 years of age or over, women, those with a bod y-mass index of 30 or over, and those who reported lung disease, arthr itis, frequent pain, and poor memory. For those with mobility difficul ty at baseline (n = 1,871), improvement occurred among 24% and onset o f basic ADL difficulty occurred among 25%. Improvement was more likely among those with difficulty in just one mobility item at baseline, an d onset of ADL difficulty was most common among those with difficulty in three or more mobility items at baseline.