@article {8041, title = {Midlife trends in activities and disability}, journal = {Journal of Aging and Health}, volume = {26}, year = {2014}, note = {Times Cited: 0}, pages = {178-206}, publisher = {26}, abstract = {Objectives: This is the first analysis that demonstrates empirically the likely tie between activities (time spent) and disability (health-related difficulty in activities). We compare trends in activities and disability for Americans ages 55 to 69 in recent years, and assess cross-sectional linkages of activities and disability. Methods: Data are from the Health and Retirement Study, a longitudinal survey of community-dwelling U.S. adults. Trends are estimated by mixed-effects regression models (MRMs) with time, age, and time-age interaction predictors. Links of activities and disability also use MRM. Results: For midlife adults, hobbies/leisure and sports/exercise increased, repairs/yard decreased, and several activities had convex patterns; by contrast, disability prevalence was stable. Personal care hours rise with disability, but most activities decline. Discussion: Activities are more dynamic than disability, and time use is associated with disability. Taken together, the results encourage broader activities in disability measures to capture better disability{\textquoteright}s scope and dynamics.}, keywords = {Demographics, Disabilities, Event History/Life Cycle, Health Conditions and Status, Methodology, Other}, doi = {10.1177/0898264313508189}, author = {Verbrugge, Lois M. and Xian Li} }