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Primary Submission Category: Aging
Disability and Functional Limitations in Early Midlife Among U.S. Men, 2000-2016
Authors: Natalie Rivadeneira, Corina Mills, Rachael McCleary, Roland Thorpe,
Presenting Author: Natalie Rivadeneira*
Midlife is a critical period when disability and functional limitations often begin to emerge among men, reflecting the cumulative effects of chronic disease, occupational strain, and longstanding social inequities that shape functional health long before older age. Studies rarely define midlife before age 45, potentially obscuring early signs of functional decline, particularly among men not racialized as White, who may experience accelerated aging earlier in the life course. This study examines trends in disability and functional limitations among men ages 30–50 using four measures from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey collected between 2000 and 2016 (n = 66,518): activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), walking limitations, and work limitations. Using robust Poisson models, we estimate age‑adjusted trends overall and conduct additional analyses stratified by race/ethnicity. Overall, there were no statistically significant changes in disability and limitation measures between 2000 and 2016. However, stratified models reveal important differences. Hispanic men experienced significant increases in IADL (PR = 2.55, 95% CI: 1.34-4.85), walking (PR = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.39-2.68), and work limitations (PR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.15-2.20), and White men showed an increase in ADL limitations (PR = 1.71, 95% CI:1.01-2.91). In contrast, Black men exhibited significant declines in ADL (PR=0.28, 95% CI: 0.13-0.60), IADL (PR=0.49, 95% CI: 0.27-0.90), and work limitations (PR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.40-0.76). These findings underscore that disability and functional limitations emerge before age 50 and vary meaningfully across racial or ethnic groups. Diverging functional health trajectories in midlife have important implications for later‑life morbidity and aging processes.