Sex, Health Behaviors and Social Support: Functional Decline among Older Diabetics.

摘要: Problem statement: Men and women experience pronounced differences in functional decline as they age. The mechanisms behind these remain unclear, particularly among chronically ill populations. Drawing on the theory of disablement process, this research examines sex decline, focusing two suggested by literature to partially mediate disparities: health behaviors social support. Approach: Data from diabetics aged 50 older Health Retirement Study (n = 2,493) were examined for change status over a 10-year period. Multivariate longitudinal multi-level models conducted analyze (1) behavior (2) support; (3) full model with support together, followed separate analysis using interaction terms. Results: Women men both experienced time. In that separately, steeper rates decline. (which included together), rate relative women. analyses suggest it is combination characteristics (largely through engagement socially supportive activities promote health) are protective against Conclusion/Recommendations: As diabetic than once held constant, future must examine (a) how factors operate tandem protect diabetes; (b) clinical policy can multi-pronged interventions improve contexts. Such will benefit multi-disciplinary collaborations.