These findings reveal deep inequities in functional aging that emerge well before old age. Dual functionality offers a culturally grounded and policy-relevant metric for assessing aging equity. The persistent disadvantage among Puerto Ricans-particularly island-born-signals the enduring impact of structural inequality. Addressing these disparities requires life-course informed interventions that prioritize functional health, autonomy, and dignity in aging.
García et al. (Tue,) studied this question.