Factors Associated with Maintaining IADL Independence: Application of Latent Trajectory Modeling

Hiroko H. Dodge, University of Pittsburgh
Mary Ganguli

Examining factors associated with “healthy aging” is important as the population ages dramatically over the next few decades in the United States and most of the other industrialized countries. One crucial aspect of healthy aging is being free from any disabilities measured by Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL). The main aims of this study are first, to examine longitudinal changes in IADL abilities, and second, to examine factors associated with retaining IADL abilities among the elderly. Unlike past studies, we propose to use Latent Trajectory Analysis as implemented in SAS TRAJ procedure (Jones, Nagin, & Roeder, 2001) to estimate the longitudinal trajectories of a summary score measured by Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) and associated factors among originally community-dwelling elderly over 12 years of follow-up. The factors to be examined include demographic, social, and life style factors, and health indicators including cognitive and psychological well-being.