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Biomedical subjects

A W Roy

Publications and source records attributed to A W Roy.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

New cohorts of urban elders: are they in trouble?

Recent social and economic trends suggest that the health and welfare of elderly persons living in urban areas may have deteriorated during the past two decades. Two representative samples of noninstitutionalized urban persons aged 65 and over were interviewed, one in 1975 (n = 1598) and the other in 1987 (n = 1491). Cohorts of "young-old" (ages 65-76), "old-old" (ages 77-88), and "oldest-old" (ages 89-100) urban residents were compared at the two time points by multivariate analysis. Over the 12 years studied, the proportion of Blacks and poor persons rose, while the educational level improved. The young-old cohort of 1987, in particular, reported more chronic illness, more psychological distress, more need for help with activities of daily living, more visits to physicians, and more need for additional medical care. We conclude that, between 1975 and 1987, a new cohort of urban residents who were more impaired, disabled, and disadvantaged than their predecessors entered the young-old age group.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1991

Impaired and disabled elderly in the community.

A nine-year representative, longitudinal study of 1,598 urban elderly shows that two to eight times as many impaired or disabled are cared for in the community as in institutions. Younger age, male gender, better income, and living with others, especially children, favor continuing care in the home.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Race-related differences among elderly urban residents: a cohort study, 1975-1984.

A population-based cohort of 1,598 urban residents, aged 65 years and over, was studied in 1975, and 645 survivors were re-interviewed in their places of residence in 1984. Since 25.6 percent of the subjects were Black, it was possible to examine race-related changes in health, function, and socioeconomic status over nine years, as well as differences in rates of institutionalization and mortality. Aging urban Blacks continue to experience major social disadvantages, especially in education and income. After age 74, although Blacks probably experience more favorable mortality rates and less institutionalization, they consider themselves less healthy and are more likely to develop diabetes, hypertension, and glaucoma. Although Blacks rate their own mental health lower, this difference is not supported by other measures. Functionally, elderly Whites are more likely to be dependent in certain activities of daily living. The findings are consistent with the previously observed mortality crossover; predictors of mortality are identified but do not differ by race. Lower institutionalization rates among older Blacks may be partly explained by different living patterns, poverty, and a higher proportion of males among surviving Blacks.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1988

Health and function in the old and very old.

This report advocates conceptual separation and parallel assessment of medically diagnosed health conditions and functional disability in clinical and epidemiological studies of the aged. Data from a study of urban elderly are presented to demonstrate how this can be done and to reexamine the meaning of self-reported illness and disability. One hundred thirteen subjects 74 to 95 years old, recruited from a longitudinal study of a representative sample of the elderly population of Cleveland, Ohio, participated in structured interviews and epidemiologically based medical examinations, conducted by a physician-nurse team at the place of residence. The presence or absence of 11 common chronic conditions was determined according to preestablished criteria, by self-report and, separately, by medical diagnostic evaluation. Functional disability was estimated by self-report and by physician-nurse assessment, using established measures of mobility and activities of daily living. Results indicate that interview self-report can provide useful estimates of the prevalence of medical conditions and functional disabilities in elderly populations, although self-report alone is not a sufficiently sensitive measure to be used for case-finding or diagnosis. When functional disabilities are matched against the specific medical conditions that cause them and disease-specific mortality is also taken into account, a three-dimensional classification results that has implications for future clinical and survey work with the elderly.

Activities of Daily Living↗