A Race- and Gender-Specific Replication of Five Dimensions of Functional Limitation and Disability

Activity of daily living (ADL) and instrumental ADL (IADL) data from the 1989 National Long-Term Care Survey (NLTCS) are used to replicate two domains of functional status with a total of five dimensions among them. LISREL analysis of the 14,415 Black and White older adults obtained from the 1989 NLTCS screen replicates three ADL disability dimensions (basic, household, and advanced) with few modifications, except among Black males. Similarly, analysis of the 4,297 Black and White disabled older adults replicates five functional status dimensions (3 ADL disability dimensions plus lower- and upper-body functional limitation dimensions) with few modifications, except among Black males. These results suggest that improved understanding of functional status will occur from studies that take into consideration the differences between functional limitation and ADL disability. The results also indicate that further research on the validity of functional reports among Black males is needed.