Health Conditions, Disability and Self-Rated Health in Older Americans

Xian Liu, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS)
Charles Engel, Jr., Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS)
David Armstrong, Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Han Kang, Department of Veterans Affairs

This study analyzes the causal linkages among three health measures – health conditions, disability, and self-rated health – in older Americans. The research, building upon a sociological perspective, uses data from the first wave of the Survey of Asset and Health Dynamics among the Oldest Old (AHEAD). We model the influences of six specific health conditions (hypertension, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke, and depression symptoms) on an older person’s self-rated health, both directly and indirectly by means of physical and social functioning. While the presence of each condition has strong adverse impact, comorbidity exerts an even more significant influence on functional status and self-rated health. While one’s self-rated health, among those with stroke, is substantially affected by disabilities that accompany this disease, indirect effects are less significant for the rest of the health conditions. The results have implications for future studies on population health in older persons.