Aging, Gender and Disability a report

A new study shows that women, though likely to live longer than men, are up to two and a half times more likely to suffer from disabilities than men as seniors.

Researchers at the Duke University Medical Center examined the records of 5,888 people 65 and over; they found that women are more likely than men to have disabling conditions such as arthritis and obesity. Those two conditions accounted for up to 48% of the gender gap in disability, the researchers say.

The findings were presented at the annual Scientific Meeting of the American Geriatrics Society.

"While women tend to live longer than men, this study shows that they are at greater risk of living with disability and much of the excess disability is attributable to higher rates of obesity and arthritis," says study researcher Heather Whitson, MD.

That's important, she adds, because the result of higher obesity and arthritis rates is a "loss of independence in their old age."

The researchers say the study is the first to isolate the impact of specific chronic health conditions on the disparity in disability rates between older men and women. The researchers say they are surprised to see the extent to which the chronic conditions explain the gender difference in disability.

"The reason for this discrepancy in disability has not been well understood, but we found that chronic health conditions that women experience in greater numbers than men may explain part of that gap," says Harvey Jay Cohen, MD, senior author of the study and director of Duke's Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development.

Weight and Disability

Women have a natural tendency to gain more weight than men over their life span, but they may be more motivated to work harder to maintain a healthy weight "if they realize that those extra pounds make it more likely that they will be disabled in later years, potentially becoming a burden to their children or requiring a nursing home," says Whitson.

The researchers extracted their data from the Cardiovascular Health Study, which asked people about their ability to perform common tasks of daily living, such as eating, grooming, dressing themselves, managing money, and upper and lower body movement, which included grasping, walking, climbing stairs, and reaching.

The researchers say the study draws attention to two health trends that could worsen the quality of life of women in the future.

As the nation's obesity rate continues to climb, so will the rates of disability in older adults, say the study authors. And because women are more likely than men to develop obesity, disability will plague them to a greater degree late in life, the study shows.

The researchers also found that women are less likely to have disabling conditions such as coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, and emphysema.

If rates of cardiovascular disease and emphysema start to increase for women, then disability in elderly women will become an even bigger problem.

"We need to help women make better decisions early in life," Cohen says.

The researchers next plan to investigate whether older disabled women can regain function if they undergo treatment to help them control their weight and arthritis pain. A next step would then be to investigate ways to prevent obesity and arthritis in younger populations.

Source: http://women.webmd.com/news/20090505/disability-gender-gap-for-seniors

By the year 2030, the number of disabled Americans is expected to skyrocket 40 percent, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Utah Department of Health reported Monday that arthritis and rheumatism are the most common culprits with Americans who report being disabled, and more than one in five adults in Utah live with arthritis.

Nationally, one-third of Americans say arthritis limits their ability to work, but according to the UDOH release, research shows that engaging in joint-friendly activities like walking, swimming and strength training helps decrease disability. The Utah Arthritis Program promotes a variety of programs designed to keep people with arthritis healthy and active, and the most effective programs in Utah have been the Living Well with Chronic Conditions and the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program, according to the UDOH.

“These two programs greatly benefit participants,” said Nicole Bissonette, Arthritis Program manager for the UDOH, in the release. “They teach appropriate exercises, proper medication use, healthy eating and how to communicate effectively with family, friends and their health care providers.”

For more information and schedules for the programs, visit  www.health.utah.gov/arthritis/CDSMP, or call (801) 538-9340.