ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN NEIGHBORHOOD DISADVANTAGE AND MOBILITY LIMITATIONS AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS

Research has shown that socioeconomic factors influence physical mobility; however, less is known about the influence of neighborhood disadvantage on mobility among African American older adults. Data from the Baltimore Study of Black Aging (N=602) were used to examine associations between neighborhood disadvantage, as measured by the Area Deprivation Index (ADI), and self-reported mobility limitations. Two-step logistic regression showed that participants residing in more disadvantaged neighborhoods, based on national ADI, had higher odds of mobility limitations, but those in less disadvantaged neighborhoods, based on state ADI, had higher odds of mobility limitations (national: OR = 1.02 (95% CI: 1.00–1.03); state: OR = 0.78 (95% CI: 0.65–0.92)). Stratified models showed the association was significant only within women (national: OR = 1.02 (95% CI: 1.00–1.04); state: OR = 0.77 (0.63-0.95)). These findings suggest that neighborhood disadvantage is an essential consideration when examining mobility limitations among African Americans.