Incidence Rates of Disability and Its Associated Factors among Korean Community-Dwelling Older Adults

BACKGROUND: We aimed to identify incidence rates of disability and its associated factors among Korean community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: The sample included 1,739 Koreans aged over 65 yr from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (2006–2016) who reported no limitations in activities of daily living (ADL) or instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) at baseline (2006) and had complete data for other covariates. ADL, IADL, socio-demographic, lifestyle, and health-condition data were collected and analyzed using multiple logistic regression models. RESULTS: The 10-yr incidence rates of ADL and IADL disability in subjects with no disability at baseline were 11.6% and 21.6%, respectively. After adjusting for socio-demographic, lifestyle, and health-condition factors, the incidence of ADL disability was higher in women (odds ratio [OR] =1.418, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.102–2.613) and increased with age (OR=1.170, 95% CI=1.133–1.208), multi-morbidity (OR=1.194, 95% CI=1.015–1.406), and obesity (OR=1.563, 95% CI=1.057–2.311). It decreased in subjects living alone (OR=0.531, 95% CI=0.328–0.856). The incidence of IADL disability increased with age (OR=1.131, 95% CI=1.102–1.161), multi-morbidity (OR=1.199, 95% CI=1.054–1.365), and cognitive disability (OR=1.422, 95% CI=1.083–1.866) and decreased for subjects living alone (OR=0.484, 95% CI=0.328–0.715) and with overweight (OR=0.725, 95% CI=0.532–0.988). CONCLUSION: Incidence rates of disability differed considerably based on socio-demographic, lifestyle, and health-condition factors. These results suggest the importance of identifying factors that can decrease the risk of disability in this group and of prevention efforts in populations with a higher disability risk.