Series 5

No. 8

Disability Among

Older People:

United States and

Canada

March 1995

Vital and

Health Statistics

From the CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION / National Center for Health Statistics

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Public Health Service

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Center for Health Statistics
Copyright Information

All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be

reproduced or copied without permission; citation as to source, however, is

appreciated.

Suggested citation

Kovar MG, Weeks JD, Forbes WF. Prevalence of disability among older

persons: United States and Canada. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital

Health Stat 5(8). 1995.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kovar, Mary Grace.

Prevalence of disability among older people: United States and Canada /

[by Mary Grace Kovar, Julie Dawson Weeks, and William F. Forbes].

p. cm. — (Vital and health statistics. Series 5, Comparative international

vital and health statistics report ; no. 8) (DHHS publication ; no. (PHS)

95–1484)

ISBN 0–8406–0498–X

1. Aged, Physically handicapped—United States—Statistics.

2. Aged, Physically handicapped—Canada—Statistics. I. Forbes, William F.

(William Frederick), 1924– . II. National Center for Health Statistics (U.S.)

III. Title. IV. Series. V. Series: Vital and health statistics. Series 5, Comparative

international vital and health statistics reports ; no. 8.

RA408.A3K68 1994 94–31886

362.1’9879’0097—dc20 CIP
Disability Among

Older People: United

States and Canada

Series 5:

Comparative International Vital

and Health Statistics Reports

No. 8

Data from two national surveys of community-dwelling

people 55 years of age and over are the basis of tables

presenting 25 measures of disability for each country. The

report includes discussions of similarity and differences

between the countries, methods used to make the data

comparable, and limitations on interpretation of the data.

Hyattsville, Maryland

March 1995

DHHS Publication No. (PHS) 95-1484

Vital and

Health Statistics

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Public Health Service

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Center for Health Statistics
National Center for Health Statistics

Jack R. Anderson, Acting Director

Jennifer H. Madans, Ph.D., Acting Deputy Director

Jacob J. Feldman, Ph.D., Associate Director for Analysis,

Epidemiology, and Health Promotion

Gail F. Fisher, Ph.D., Associate Director for Planning and

Extramural Programs

Peter L. Hurley, Associate Director for Vital and Health

Statistics Systems

Robert A. Israel, Associate Director for International

Statistics

Stephen E. Nieberding, Associate Director for

Management

Charles J. Rothwell, Associate Director for Data

Processing and Services

Monroe G. Sirken, Ph.D., Associate Director for Research

and Methodology

Division of Epidemiology

Jennifer H. Madans, Ph.D., Director

Jennifer H. Madans, Ph.D., Acting Chief, Population

Epidemiology Branch
Contents

Map of the United States and Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv

Introduction............................................................................................ 1

Highlights ............................................................................................. 3

Characteristics of the two countries......................................................................... 4

Comparability of the data................................................................................. 8

Results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Prevalence in the United States and Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Associations with control variables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

List of detailed tables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Guide to detailed tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Appendixes

I. The surveys, samples, and sampling errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

II. Questions used on the surveys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

III. Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

IV. Estimates of the black population of the United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Text tables

A. Data on the United States and Canada, mid-1980s........................................................ 4

B. Selected background statistics on health care: United States and Canada, 1985................................. 4

C. Health expenditures per capita by type of expenditure: United States and Canada, 1985 ......................... 5

D. Health insurance coverage of people 55 years of age and over: United States, 1984............................. 5

E. Percent of noninstitutionalized people 65 years of age and over by marital status and family size,

according to country and sex: United States, 1984 and Canada, 1985 ........................................ 6

F. Percent of noninstitutionalized people 65 years of age and over by education and family income,

according to country and sex: United States, 1984 and Canada, 1985 ........................................ 6

G. Percent of noninstitutionalized people 65 years of age and over by perceived health status and physician contacts

in past year, according to country and sex: United States, 1984 and Canada, 1985.............................. 7

H. Age-sex adjusted prevalence rates, ranks, and relative risks of selected disabilities for noninstitutionalized

people 55 years of age and over by selected disabilities and country: United States, 1984 and Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . 10

J. Ranks and relative risks of selected disabilities for noninstitutionalized people by age and selected disabilities:

United States, 1984 and Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

K. Relative risk of lowest to highest income quintile for noninstitutionalized people age 55 years of age and over

by selected disabilities: United States, 1984 and Canada, 1985. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

L. Relative risk of having no physician visit among noninstitutionalized people 55 years of age and over by selected

disabilities: United States, 1984 and Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

iii
iv
Prevalence of Disability

Among Older Persons:

United States and Canada

Mary Grace Kovar, Dr.P.H., National Opinion Research

Center, University of Chicago; Julie Dawson Weeks,

M.A., Office of Analysis, Epidemiology and Health

Promotion, National Center for Health Statistics; and

William F. Forbes, Ph.D., University of Waterloo and

Canadian Centre for Health Information, Statistics

Canada

Introduction

Comparisons of health and health-related variables between

countries can be a valuable tool for scientists and policymakers. Such comparisons aid scientists studying the prevalence or

incidence of disease or the prevalence of disability. They are

useful to policymakers studying the impact of differences in

such things as coverage for health care. This report is designed

to contribute to the study of differences between the United

States and Canada by examining the prevalence of disability.

The intent is to provide information useful for the study of the

epidemiology of disability and the possible impact of differing

health care systems. The value of such comparisons is especially relevant for the United States and Canada because these

countries share a long common border and have many similarities. However, they differ in a number of respects, such as

their health care systems. Therefore, it is important to investigate whether, and to what extent, there are differences in the

prevalence of health-related conditions.

Disability, as used in this report, follows the model

proposed by the World Health Organization in the International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities, and Handicaps (ICIDH), which defines the distinctions among impairment,

disability, and handicap (1). Impairment is defined as ‘‘any

loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological, or anatomical structure or function’’; disability is defined as ‘‘any

restriction (resulting from an impairment) of ability to perform

an activity in the manner or within the range considered

normal for a human being’’; and handicap is defined as ‘‘a

disadvantage for a given individual, resulting from an impairment or a disability, that limits or prevents the fulfillment of a

role that is normal (depending on age, sex, and social and

cultural factors) for that individual.’’

A disability thus represents a behavioral or performance

alteration, resulting from impairment, that affects the entire

person. Although an impairment may not result in disability or

in disability and handicap, it may result in a handicap without

the presence of a disability. Therefore, an impairment can be

regarded as an intrinsic problem that may be alleviated by the

use of appropriate assistive devices and may not lead to

disability or handicap.

The data that are the basis of this report conform most

closely to the ICIDH definition of disability. Therefore, this

term is used in this publication even though the ICIDH

classification was not the basis for designing the questionnaires used to collect the data.

The data in this report are from surveys conducted during

the mid-1980’s that had 13 measures of disability in common;

12 of the measures included a level of severity. The report also

includes information from other sources, such as vital statistics, to provide a context for the period during which the data

were collected.

The surveys were not conducted for international comparisons. Using data from surveys conducted for other purposes is

common for international comparisons because the collection

and analysis of population data are expensive and timeconsuming. However, studies not designed for comparative

purposes may not have information on all variables of interest

or the variables may not be comparable. Also, the populations

may be different (one may include institutionalized persons

while the other excludes them), the wording of questions may

differ, or the categories may not be comparable.

When possible, care was taken to overcome such difficulties for this report (see the section on comparability of the data

for details). However, the inherent limitation on relying n data

collected for other purposes remains.

Therefore, policy decisions relying on international comparisons were sometimes made on the basis of limited data

that were not entirely comparable. However, reasonably comparable and valid data for the mid-1980’s were available for

the United States and Canada.

The National Center for Health Statistics and Statistics Canada public-use

files were essential for this analysis.

Dorothy P. Rice provided invaluable assistance on the history of Medicare

in the United States and on other analyses of disability data from the National

Health Interview Survey.

Jacqueline Macpherson and Debbie White provided secretarial assistance

and Namrita Agwani and Lynda Hayward provided technical assistance for the

Canadian parts of this report.

1
It should be noted that many comparisons that would have

been desirable for this report were not possible because the

relevant data are not available for one of the jurisdictions.

Hence, this report should be regarded as a pilot project, in that

it illustrates a method that might be appropriate for other data

as they become available. The method might also be used by

individuals who are interested in carrying out similar comparisons between other countries.

2
Highlights

+ The prevalence of all disabilities among people age 55 and

older residing in the community rises sharply with age,

and in a similar manner, in both the United States and

Canada.

+ Older women are more likely to be disabled than older

men in both countries.

+ Institutionalization rates do not account for either the

increase with age or the gender difference.

+ The prevalence of disability among people age 55 and

older is not consistently higher in either the United States

or Canada. The risk of being disabled is sometimes higher

in one country and sometimes higher in the other, depending on the disability.

+ The prevalence of many disabilities is higher in the United

States than in Canada among people 55–64 years old.

However, among people 65–74 years old, the prevalence

of many disabilities appears to be higher in Canada.

+ Differences in the prevalence of disability between the

lowest and the highest income groups are not greater in

either the United States or Canada. Depending on the

disability, the ratios of the lowest to the highest income

group is sometimes greater in one country and sometimes

greater in the other.

3
Characteristics of the

two countries

The United States and Canada together occupy most of

the North American continent. They are of approximately the

same size and share the longest unguarded border in the world.

Because of that long border, one often thinks of them as

similar countries. While they are similar in many respects,

they differ in other important ways.

Some basic information about the two countries is shown

in table A. The most noticeable difference is that, although the

land area of the United States and Canada is almost the same,

the population of the United States is almost 10 times larger

than that of Canada (2). Therefore, the United States has a

population density of 26 people per square kilometer in

contrast to 3 people per square kilometer in Canada (3).

The United States ranks lower than Canada on two health

measures commonly used for international comparisons—

infant mortality and life expectancy. In the United States,

white people fare better than black people by both these

measures. However, the difference between the United States

and Canada is not entirely due to the United States having a

relatively larger black population. These measures for the

white population of the United States are also worse than

those for the Canadian population (4).

With the lower expectation of life in the United States,

one might expect that the proportion of people who are age

65 years and older would be lower. However, the proportion

of the population age 65 years and older is somewhat

higher in the United States than in Canada (2,5). However,

the proportion of a population that is age 65 years and older

is also affected by past natality, mortality, and immigration

patterns.

Both countries provide health services through privately

delivered health care. However, there are fundamental differences in the way health care is controlled, provided, and

financed and in who is eligible for nationwide health care

coverage. Those differences might affect the health of the

inhabitants.

In general, all care in Canada is financed by federal and

provincial governments that control the supply of facilities and

major equipment. Canada as a whole has more physicians and

more hospital beds per capita than the United States, and the

number of hospital days per capita is higher in Canada.

However, there are appreciable regional variations in both the

United States and Canada in the availability of hospital beds

and health services. Table B shows selected characteristics of

the health care system around the time data for this report

were obtained.

Table A. Data on the United States and Canada, mid-1980s

Selected characteristic United States Canada

Area in square kilometers .............. 19,372,614 19,976,139

Population in thousands ............... 1239,279 125,165

Population per square kilometer .......... 226.0 23.0

Births per 1,000 persons ............... 115.6 114.9

Infant mortality per 1,000 persons ......... 110.6 17.9

Percent of population age 65 and over ...... 112.5 111.3

Expectation of life at birth in years

Males .......................... 171.3 173.0

Females ......................... 178.3 179.8

Expectation of life at age 65 and over

Males .......................... 114.7 314.9

Females ......................... 118.6 319.1

Expectation of life at age 75 years

Males .......................... 19.1 39.1

Females ......................... 111.7 311.9

Expectation of life at age 85 years

Males .......................... 15.2 35.1

Females ......................... 16.4 36.4

1United Nations. 1989 UN Demographic Yearbook. United Nations Publishers, NY. 1991

2The World in Figures. G.K. Hall & Co., Boston, MA. 1988.

3Canadian Centre for Health Information: Life Tables, Canada and Provinces: 1985–1987.

Health Reports. Catalog 82–0035, Supp 30, Vol 2 (4). 1990.

Table B. Selected background statistics on health care: United

States and Canada, 1985

Selected characteristic United States Canada

Per capita in 1985 U.S. dollars1

Gross national (domestic) product ....... 16,703 14,801

National income .................. 14,565 11,778

Rate per 1,000 persons

Patient-care physicians2 ............. 1.81 2.05

Private-practice general practitioners and

family physicians ................. 0.24 0.90

Other2 ........................ 1.57 1.15

Short-stay general hospitals3

Beds ......................... 4.20 4.43

Admissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 136

Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 994 1,293

1$1.00 U.S. equals $1.22 Canadian. Canadian figures adjusted according to the

purchasing-power-parity exchange rate.

2Values include interns and residents.

3Canadian data include rehabilitation units.

SOURCES: Fuchs, V.R. and J.S. Hahn, 1990; The World in Figures. G.K. Hall & Co. Boston,

MA. 1988.

4
The relatively larger supply of major medical care providers does not lead to higher expenditures for health care in

Canada. In addition, since universal health insurance was

implemented in Canada the percent of the gross national

product spent on health care has increased more slowly than in

the United States. Table C presents data from Fuchs and Hahn

(6) who showed that in 1985 per capita expenditures were

lower in Canada for most types of service, including hospitals.

The evolution of universal coverage in Canada was not

instantaneous. The act that provided for federal-provincial cost

sharing for inpatient services was passed in 1957. The federal

Medical Care Act providing federal-provincial cost-sharing of

physician services was passed in 1966. All provinces had

publicly funded hospital and physician services programs that

covered the total population by the end of 1970 (7,8).

In contrast, coverage is nearly complete in the United

States only for people age 65 years and older; virtually

everyone that age is covered by the Medicare legislation

passed in 1965 (9). In addition, some people under age 65 who

are disabled or have end stage renal disease are also covered

by Medicare because of later additions to the legislation. Data

in table D for people age 55 years and older show that

8 percent of Americans age 55–64 years had no health insurance coverage of any kind in 1984. In contrast, only 1 percent

of those age 65 years and older had no health insurance

coverage.

Thus, coverage is nearly universal for people age 65 years

and older in both countries although the benefits differ. For

people under age 65, it is universal in Canada, but millions of

Americans that age have no or inadequate health care coverage. Furthermore, American adults under age 65 years who

may have the greatest need for health care, those who are

limited in activity, are significantly less likely to have any

insurance than those who are not limited (10). Also, those who

have insurance are likely to have only public insurance; only

54.7 percent of Americans age 18–64 years who are limited in

activity, in contrast with 77.7 percent of those who are not

limited in activity, have only private insurance (10).

This difference in coverage above and below age 65 is

especially interesting when considering the impact that health

care might have on disability levels. Disability rates and

demands for health care are relatively high among people age

65 years and older, and coverage is nearly universal for people

that age in both countries. However, some disabilities originate before the age of 65 and the question arises whether some

of those disabilities could be prevented or ameliorated by

more universally available health care for younger people in

the United States. People ages 55–64, for whom health care

coverage is universal in Canada but not in the United States,

are especially important. Therefore, data on this group are

included in this report.

There may be other differences that could be associated

with the prevalence of disability, even among people age 65

years and older who have universal health care in both

countries. The tables in this report include information about

some of those other factors.

Although the data needed for exact comparisons are not

available, it is generally believed that institutionalization

rates in Canada are slightly higher than in the United States

(11,12). Because people in institutions are more likely to be

disabled than those in the community, a larger proportion of

disabled people in Canada may not be in the community,

and this may affect comparisons between the two countries.

However, in both countries at any given time, the vast

majority of persons age 65 years and older reside in the

community, not in nursing homes or other long-term care

institutions.

Table C. Health expenditures per capita by type of expenditure:

United States and Canada, 1985

Expenditure United States Canada

Amount per capita in 1985 U.S. dollars

Total .................... 1,780 1,286

Physicians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347 202

Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 69

Evaluation and management . . . . . 154 133

Hospitals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 698 520

All other1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 735 564

1Includes expenditures for nursing homes and other institutions, drugs, dentists’ services,

other professional services, public health, appliances, prepayment administration,

construction, research, home care, ambulance services, other personal health care, and

miscellaneous expenses.

SOURCE : Fuchs, V.R. and J.S. Hahn, 1990.

Table D. Health insurance coverage of people 55 years of age and over: United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Type of health insurance coverage Total

55–64

years

65 years

and over

65–74

years

75 years

and over

Number in thousands

Total ....................................... 44,326 20,075 24,251 14,925 9,326

Percent distribution

Total ....................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

No health insurance coverage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.0 7.7 0.9 0.9 0.9

Medicare coverage .............................. 55.2 6.0 95.9 95.2 97.1

With other coverage ............................ 45.2 4.3 79.0 81.2 75.7

No other coverage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.4 1.6 15.8 12.8 20.4

Other coverage, no Medicare ........................ 40.4 85.6 3.0 3.8 1.8

NOTE: Figures may not add to totals because of some unknown coverage.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Health Insurance Supplement, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

5
Characteristics of the noninstitutionalized population age

65 and older differ somewhat in the two countries, as shown in

tables E, F, and G.

In both countries the majority of people age 65 and older

living in the community are married and live in families with

two or more persons (Table E). However, older Americans are

more likely to be widowed than Canadians while older

Canadians are more likely to have never married. There is also

a difference in family size; older American females are more

likely to be in one-person families and Canadians more likely

to be in families of three or more persons.

Table F shows that the distribution of people age 65 and

older by education and family income is different in the two

countries. In both countries, almost one fifth of the people that

age have 13 or more years of education. However, most

Canadians without that much education have eight or fewer

Table E. Percent of noninstitutionalized people 65 years of age and over by marital status and family size, according to country and sex:

United States, 1984 and Canada, 1985

[United States data are based on all races other than black. Canadian data are based on all races]

Both sexes Male Female

United States Canada United States Canada United States Canada

Marital status

Married ............................ 54.9 57.1 77.6 76.1 39.36 42.7

Widowed ........................... 35.2 31.4 13.6 13.3 50.1 45.2

Divorced or separated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.1 3.9 4.3 3.7 5.7 4.1

Never married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.5 7.5 4.4 6.9 4.6 8.0

Family size

1 person ............................ 33.2 31.0 16.9 18.2 44.4 40.8

Alone ............................. 31.8 28.2 16.0 16.7 42.7 36.9

With nonrelative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 2.8 0.9 1.5 1.7 3.9

2 persons ........................... 52.2 52.0 66.0 62.2 42.7 44.2

Spouse ............................ 45.1 45.1 62.4 58.0 33.2 35.3

Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.1 6.9 3.6 4.2 9.5 8.9

3 or more persons ..................... 14.6 17.0 17.0 19.6 12.9 15.0

NOTE : Figures may not add to totals because of missing data.

SOURCES: United States: Supplement on Aging, 1984 National Health Interview Survey.

Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1, 1985. Statistics Canada. Age, sex and marital status. Cat. No. 93–310. Ottawa: 1992. Statistics Canada. Families: Number, type and structure. Cat. No.

93–312. The Nation Series.

Table F. Percent of noninstitutionalized people 65 years of age and over by education and family income, according to country and sex:

United States, 1984 and Canada, 1985

[United States data are based on all races other than black. Canadian data are based on all races]

Both sexes Male Female

United States Canada United States Canada United States Canada

Education

0–8 years ........................... 34.9 46.9 37.2 50.0 33.4 44.6

9–11 years .......................... 16.9 22.4 16.6 20.2 18.1 24.1

12 years1 ........................... 28.4 9.9 25.0 9.0 30.8 10.5

13 or more .......................... 18.5 19.5 19.9 19.7 17.5 19.4

Family income2,3

Under $5,000 ........................ 12.2 5.9 6.7 3.3 16.0 7.9

$5,000–6,999 ........................ 10.6 16.0 8.0 10.1 12.3 20.5

$7,000–9,999 ........................ 16.4 21.8 15.7 22.5 16.9 21.3

$10,000–14,999 ....................... 19.6 27.0 21.5 28.7 18.3 25.7

$15,000–19,999 ....................... 14.0 13.6 16.1 14.6 12.5 12.9

$20,000–24,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.4 5.4 10.5 7.0 8.6 4.3

$25,000–34,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.6 5.7 11.7 7.0 8.1 4.8

$35,000–49,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2 2.9 6.0 3.8 4.7 2.1

$50,000 or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 1.6 3.8 3.0 2.6 0.6

1Includes grade 13 (see text).

2Family income has been imputed (see Appendix III).

3Amounts are in 1985 U.S. dollars.

NOTES: Figures may not add to totals because of missing data.

SOURCES: United States: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

Canada: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

6
years while most Americans have some education beyond

elementary school. The distribution at the upper end is less

clear because the category ‘‘12 years’’ for Canada includes

grade 13 because it was offered by some, but not all, high

schools in Canada. The income distribution for older Canadians is more concentrated than that of older Americans, and

relatively fewer older Canadians were in the lowest or highest

income quintiles.

Table G shows that Americans age 65 and older were

more likely to rate their health as good or excellent, but that

they were also more likely to report that they were in poor

health. Canadians, both men and women, were more likely

than their southern neighbors to have seen a physician during

the year before the interview.

Table G. Percent of noninstitutionalized people 65 years of age and over by perceived health status and physician contacts in past year,

according to country and sex: United States, 1984 and Canada, 1985

[United States data are based on all races other than black. Canadian data are based on all races]

Both sexes Male Female

United States Canada United States Canada United States Canada

Perceived health status

Good to excellent ...................... 67.6 62.0 66.9 64.8 68.1 59.9

Fair ............................... 20.9 28.9 21.0 26.1 20.8 31.0

Poor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.1 8.9 11.8 8.9 11.1 9.0

Physician contacts

None .............................. 17.9 11.7 20.3 13.9 16.2 10.0

1–2 contacts ......................... 16.2 27.5 16.5 30.2 16.1 25.4

3–6 contacts ......................... 22.4 30.1 22.1 29.3 22.6 30.6

7–12 contacts ........................ 24.6 16.9 24.2 14.8 24.8 18.5

13–24 contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.4 9.5 10.3 7.6 12.2 11.0

25 contacts or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 2.9 3.1 3.1 3.1 2.9

NOTE : Figures may not add to totals because of missing data.

SOURCES: United States: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

Canada: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

7
Comparability of the data

There are numerous publications based on data from the

United States and Canada, and many studies published provide

comparisons pertaining to the health care systems of the two

countries. One problem with some of these publications is that

they rely on secondary analyses of data that may not have

been comparable. Several methods were used to avoid such

lack of comparability in this report.

The data for each country are derived from a national

population-based sample survey that excluded the institutionalized population. The U.S. survey was conducted by the

National Center for Health Statistics in 1984, and the Canadian survey was conducted by Statistics Canada in 1985.

The data are derived from public-use files for which

questionnaires and code books are available. These questionnaires and code books were scrutinized to select comparable

questions. This scrutiny revealed that, although they appeared

to be the same, some questions were not asked in the same

way in the two surveys. Data from those questions were

excluded from this report. The questions that were retained are

listed in appendix II.

Next, the code books were examined to discover whether

the information from the questions had been coded in the same

way. In many cases it had not been. Therefore, the data

required recoding to increase comparability. Unfortunately,

some detail was lost for each country in the process.

Finally, all data were tabulated to make the categories as

comparable as possible. In most cases, that was relatively

easy, but in some cases it was not. For example, information

on income was missing for about 20 percent of participants in

the United States and for about 30 percent of those in Canada.

Furthermore, the level of income and the income distribution

differed in the two countries. These two problems were

overcome in different ways. The problem of missing information on income was solved by imputing income for both

countries using other information that the participants had

provided (see appendix III). The problem of different levels

and different distributions of income was solved by using

country-specific income categories. The categories shown in

the tables represent quintiles of the population age 55 and

older in the specified country.

Race could not be used as a control variable because

information on race was not on the public-use file for Canada.

After examining the racial distributions in the two countries,

the U.S. ‘‘nonblack’’ population was selected as the most

comparable to that of Canada. Abbreviated tables are provided

in appendix IV to indicate how this minority population in the

United States differs from the population used for the comparative tables.

The data for both countries are from sample surveys and

are subject to sampling error. In general, because the samples

were large, the sampling errors are relatively small. Whenever

possible, categories were combined to reduce the number of

cells with few people. However, some cells with few people

remain and sampling errors are not negligible when the

number of people in the denominator is relatively small.

To aid the reader, the number of people in the sample for

each cell is shown in tables I and II in appendix I. Those tables

can be used for estimating sampling errors using the method

outlined in appendix I. The reader should consider any interpretations as tentative when there are fewer than 100 persons

in the denominator for either country. This method of estimating sampling errors was developed for this report based on

data from two countries. It is not the method recommended by

either Statistics Canada or the National Center for Health

Statistics.

It is also important to stress what information such

surveys can provide. There are two issues: the limitations of

any cross-sectional survey and those of surveys of older

people.

Both surveys are point-in-time studies and associations

derived from such studies should not be interpreted to imply

causality. For example, differences among the age groups

could be the result of aging or they could be because different

cohorts have different experiences. The differences could be

because of changes that have occurred in health care during

the lifetime of the study populations rather than the result of

aging. Also, the older age group no longer represents the

general population; it represents only survivors whose contemporaries have been affected by earlier mortality experiences

which might differ between the U.S. and Canadian populations.

The other issue is that these surveys are based on people

who were living in the community at the time they, or their

proxy respondents, participated in the surveys. Institutionalized persons were excluded. This would make little difference

if the proportion and characteristics of the institutionalized

population were the same in the two countries, but it is not.

According to the National Nursing Home Survey, approximately 5 percent of the people age 65 and older in the United

States were in nursing homes in 1985 and this percent was

much higher at age 85 and older (12).

There is no single source for such an estimate for the rate

of institutionalization in Canada. The relevant studies and data

8
have been reviewed (11) and the difficulty of ascertaining rates

of institutionalization has been noted. Specifically, in Canada,

institutionalization includes hospitals, nursing homes, and

homes for the aged, but there are a number of places called

retirement homes or that have similar names, which could be

regarded as institutions. However, they are frequently omitted

from the reported rates of institutionalization. Hence, it is

difficult to compare rates of institutionalization between the

two countries. However, researchers who have reviewed this

matter believe that the rate of institutionalization of the elderly

is greater in Canada than in the United States (11).

9
Results

Tables 1–50 show the percent of noninstitutionalized

population aged 55 years and older in each country with a

specified disability and consist of 25 pairs of tables. Each

disability measure is considered in a pair of tables. The first

table of the pair presents the data for the United States and the

second one presents the data for Canada. If there are data on

two levels of severity, difficulty in performing the task is the

first pair of tables and inability to perform it is the second pair.

Every table has the same format. All the tables show the

estimated number of people in the age-sex group in the first

row and the percent of the population in the specified category

with that disability in all the other cells. The first column gives

the age-adjusted estimate and the remaining columns show the

data for three age groups (55–64, 65–74, and 75 years and

over) and for each sex. The rows present the data by income

quintiles, three levels of education, three types of marital

status, five family types, and five categories of the number of

doctor visits in the year prior to the interview. All of the tables

present national estimates based on weighted data. All of the

data for the United States are for the nonblack population so as

to make the populations more comparable.

These data are considered in two ways in this section. The

first way is to examine the differences between the United

States and Canada in the prevalence of disability. The second

way is to examine the associations between the measures of

disability and the five control variables within each country.

Prevalence in the United States and

Canada

The relationship between the prevalence of disability by

gender and age is similar in the two countries. Prevalence rates

are also generally higher among women than among men in

both countries. Prevalence rates are also consistently higher at

higher ages in both countries and this increase does not appear

to be linear, at least in Canada (13). More specifically, the

prevalence of disability among people age 75 and older is usually

several times as high as it is among people age 55–64 years.

The similarities of the relationships by age and by gender

suggest that age-sex-adjusted data can be used to examine

differences in prevalence. A summary of the age-sex-adjusted

prevalence data for the two countries is given in table H where

the measures are listed in the order of decreasing prevalence in

the United States.

There are differences between the United States and

Canada in the prevalence of many of the measures of disability. However, there is no consistent pattern in the sense that the

prevalence is invariably, or almost invariably, higher in either

the United States or Canada. That is shown most clearly by the

relative risks. For 13 of the measures, the relative risk is above

1 (the relative risk is higher in the United States) while for 12

it is below 1 (the relative risk is lower in the United States).

Note, however, that many of the relative risks are near one,

thereby suggesting that the age-sex-adjusted prevalence is

about the same.

However, the magnitude of the relative risk does not

necessarily measure the impact of the difference. Even when

the relative risk is high, very few people in the country may be

affected if the prevalence is very low. Conversely, even if the

relative risk in one country is only, say, 10 percent higher than

in the other, many people will be affected if the prevalence of

the disability is very high.

Table H also shows the ranking of the disabilities within

each country. Despite differences in levels of disability, the

ranking is similar in the two countries (the Spearman rank

correlation coefficient is 0.84). Of the 25 variables, only 4

differ by more than 5 places in their ranks. The similarity of

the rankings is consistent with the belief that the relative

impact of each disability is similar in both countries if data are

used from questions that are similar.

Of the four rankings that differ by more than five places,

the relative risk is higher in the United States for three (unable

to stand for 2 hours, unable to bend down, unable to read

newsprint when wearing glasses) and lower for one (difficulty

managing money). Two of these four are measures of musculoskeletal ability, one is a measure that might be alleviated by

proper prescriptions and medical care, and the last one could

be either a measure of cognitive ability or of social norms.

Age-specific rates are sometimes more revealing than

age-adjusted rates, especially when there are reasons that one

age group might differ from the others. Relationships for

people age 55–64 years might be different from those for

people age 65 years and older because all people of that age

have health care coverage in Canada but not in the United

States.

The relative risk of disability for people age 55–64 years

is higher in the United States than in Canada for 14 of the 25

measure as shown in table J. However, the relative risk for

people age 65–74 years is lower in the United States for 14

measures. Further, risks that are higher in one age group are

not necessarily higher in the next older group; they sometimes

reverse. Therefore, one should not place too much reliance on

10
whether the relative risk is high in one country or the other

when considering the ten-year age groups. More important is

that the rankings of the disabilities are similar for each age

group.

It is possible that the differences in these measures could

be due to differences in the wording or interpretation of the

questions that were asked. However, examination of the

relevant questions (shown in appendix II) does not suggest

that these questions differ more than others where the rankings

were similar.

Associations with control variables

The literature that demonstrates that the prevalence of

disability is lower among people with higher levels of income

or education, within any age-sex-race group, is so extensive

that it cannot be cited here. Such a differential suggests that if

preventive medical care is free and available, differences

between the highest and lowest groups should be less than if

such care is expensive or difficult to obtain. Therefore, one

could hypothesize that the relative risk of the lowest income

group would be less in Canada than in the United States.

Table K shows the relative risk of having each specified

disability for persons in the lowest income quintile relative to

those in the highest quintile. For most disabilities, the risk is

greater among lower- than among higher-income people. The

lowest relative risks, that is the smallest relative differences,

are for the disabilities that may have different meanings (or

cognitive demands) in different income groups. Managing

money and preparing meals, for example, may have quite

different meanings.

Again the relative risks only tell part of the story. The

absolute difference between low- and high-income groups is

also important.

Table K also shows that, in general, the ratio of the lowest

to the highest income group is greater in Canada than it is in

the United States. This is contrary to what might have been

expected given the universal access to medical care in Canada.

When the age 55–65 group is considered separately, the ratios

of lowest- to highest-income groups are lower in Canada than

in the United States. However, the same reversal noted before

occurs for those ages 65–74 years. There is also a gradient by

level of education in both countries.

Similar comparisons can be made for the other socioeconomic groups, for example, disability. One could compare the

ratios between married people and either those never married

or those previously married, or between people living with a

spouse only and those in any other living arrangement.

A comparison according to the number of physician visits

in the year prior to the interview is of interest since one might

expect people who have a disability would see a physician,

regardless of the medical care system. Therefore, unlike age,

sex, or income, physician visits might result from, rather than

precede, the disability. The question is: what proportion of

people with the specified disability have not seen a physician

within a year? It has already been shown (table H) that, in

Table H. Age-sex adjusted prevalence rates, ranks, and relative risks of selected disabilities for noninstitutionalized people 55 years of

age and over by selected disabilities and country: United States, 1984 and Canada, 1985

[United States data are for all races other than black. Canadian data are for all races]

Selected disability

Prevalence Rank

United States Canada United States Canada Relative risk

Difficulty bending down ........................ 32.0 24.2 1 3 1.32

Difficulty standing 2 hours ...................... 27.0 25.7 2 2 1.05

Difficulty walking ............................ 22.3 21.4 3 6 1.04

Difficulty climbing steps ....................... 18.7 26.8 4 1 0.70

Difficulty doing heavy housework ................. 18.2 22.1 5 5 0.82

Difficulty reaching over head .................... 13.3 13.0 6 9 1.02

Unable to do heavy housework ................... 10.8 15.5 7 7 0.70

Difficulty lifting 10 pounds ...................... 10.6 22.4 8 4 0.47

Unable to stand 2 hours ....................... 10.3 5.7 9 16 1.81

Unable to bend down ......................... 10.1 4.9 10 19 2.60

Unable to walk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.3 6.8 11 15 1.41

Difficulty grasping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.2 11.1 12 10 0.83

Difficulty shopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.4 13.5 13 8 0.55

Unable to climb steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.6 4.2 14 18 1.57

Unable to lift 10 pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.0 9.5 15 11 0.53

Difficulty doing light housework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.8 3.6 16 19 1.33

Difficulty preparing meals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6 7.8 17 12 0.59

Unable to read newsprint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6 2.0 17 24 2.30

Unable to shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.5 7.0 19 14 0.64

Difficulty managing money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 7.7 20 13 0.40

Unable to reach over head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.8 2.5 21 22 1.12

Unable to do light housework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6 2.2 22 23 1.18

Unable to prepare meals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 3.3 23 20 0.70

Unable to manage money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0 2.6 24 21 0.77

Unable to grasp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.8 0.6 25 25 1.33

SOURCES: United States: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

Canada: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

11
general, people age 65 and over in the United States are less

likely to see a physician than people the same age in Canada.

However, those data did not control for whether the person

had a disability.

Table L shows the proportion of people in the United

States who had no physician visits in the year before the

interview relative to the proportion of people in Canada with a

similar disability. The data, which are based on the age-sex

adjusted rates in the tables, do not show any consistent benefit

for disabled older people in one country or the other. For 14 of

the 25 disabilities, disabled persons in the United States are

less likely to have seen a physician for any reason than

persons with the same disability in Canada. For the other 15

disabilities, disabled persons in Canada are less likely to have

seen a physician. However, for the 15 physical disabilities, the

ratios favor Canada.

Table J. Ranks and relative risks of selected disabilities for noninstitutionalized people by age and selected disabilities: United States,

1984 and Canada, 1985

[United States data are for all races other than black. Canadian data are for all races]

Selected disability

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Rank

Relative

risk

Rank

Relative

risk

Rank

Relative

risk

United

States Canada

United

States Canada

United

States Canada

Difficulty bending down ......... 1 2 1.29 1 3 1.43 1 6 1.26

Difficulty standing 2 hours ....... 2 1 0.97 2 2 1.16 2 5 1.04

Difficulty walking ............. 3 5 1.28 3 6 1.05 3 3 0.91

Difficulty climbing steps ........ 4 3 0.72 4 1 0.68 4 2 0.71

Difficulty doing heavy housework . . 5 6 1.21 5 4 0.79 5 1 0.67

Difficulty reaching over head ..... 6 7 1.26 6 8 1.03 6 7 0.63

Difficulty grasping ............ 7 9 1.12 7 7 0.68 7 12 1.06

Difficulty lifting 10 pounds ....... 8 4 0.51 8 17 2.39 8 15 1.24

Unable to do heavy housework .... 9 8 0.87 9 13 1.42 9 4 0.50

Unable to bend down . . . . . . . . . . 10 16 2.35 10 5 0.44 10 18 2.11

Unable to stand 2 hours . . . . . . . . 11 11 1.33 11 10 0.82 11 10 0.85

Unable to walk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 14 1.44 12 16 1.60 12 8 0.55

Difficulty shopping . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 10 0.66 13 9 0.50 13 17 1.45

Unable to climb steps . . . . . . . . . 14 17 2.00 14 18 1.53 14 11 0.62

Unable to read newsprint . . . . . . . 15 23 5.40 15 11 0.51 15 13 0.64

Difficulty doing light housework . . . . 15 17 1.50 15 20 1.41 15 9 0.51

Unable to lift 10 pounds . . . . . . . . 17 12 0.61 17 12 0.49 17 14 0.65

Difficulty preparing meals . . . . . . . 18 13 0.57 18 24 1.95 18 18 1.23

Unable to reach over head . . . . . . 19 20 1.38 19 15 0.62 19 23 2.04

Unable to shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 17 0.94 20 22 0.92 20 12 0.45

Difficulty managing money . . . . . . . 21 15 0.33 21 23 0.92 21 21 1.16

Unable to do light housework . . . . . 22 24 2.67 22 14 0.34 22 20 0.89

Unable to prepare meals . . . . . . . 23 21 0.64 23 19 0.46 23 22 1.03

Unable to grasp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 24 1.67 24 21 0.52 24 24 1.19

Unable to manage money . . . . . . . 25 22 0.50 25 25 1.33 25 25 1.08

SOURCES: United States: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

Canada: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

12
Table K. Relative risk of lowest to highest income quintile for

noninstitutionalized people 55 years of age and over by selected

disabilities: United States, 1984 and Canada, 1985

[United States data are for all races other than black. Canadian data are for all

races]

Selected disability

Ratio

United

States Canada

Difficulty walking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 3.2

Unable to walk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 3.8

Difficulty climbing steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 3.0

Unable to climb steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 4.8

Difficulty bending down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8 2.5

Unable to bend down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 1.8

Difficulty standing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0 3.3

Unable to stand long periods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 3.1

Difficulty grasping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4 6.8

Unable to grasp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0 –

Difficulty reaching over head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4 2.5

Unable to reach over head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 3.4

Difficulty lifting weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 4.4

Unable to lift weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6 3.3

Unable to read newsprint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 6.3

Difficulty doing heavy housework . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 1.5

Unable to do heavy housework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.9 2.0

Difficulty doing light housework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6 2.8

Unable to do light housework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.0 3.6

Difficulty preparing meals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.3 1.9

Unable to prepare meals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.8 2.8

Difficulty shopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8 2.2

Unable to shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6 8.0

Difficulty managing money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.9 1.6

Unable to manage money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.8 1.0

SOURCES: United States: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for

Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

Canada: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

Table L. Relative risk of having no physician visit among

noninstitutionalized people 55 years of age and over by selected

disabilities: United States, 1984 and Canada, 1985

[United States data are for all races other than black. Canada data are all

races]

Selected disability United States/Canada

Difficulty walking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.3

Unable to walk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5

Difficulty climbing steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.6

Unable to climb steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.6

Difficulty bending down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6

Unable to bend down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.4

Difficulty standing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2

Unable to stand long periods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6

Difficulty grasping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.9

Unable to grasp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.7

Difficulty reaching over head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.3

Unable to reach over head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4

Difficulty lifting weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.7

Unable to lift weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.9

Unable to read newsprint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4

Difficulty doing heavy housework . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1

Unable to do heavy housework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.8

Difficulty doing light housework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.9

Unable to do light housework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8

Difficulty preparing meals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.5

Unable to prepare meals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.0

Difficulty shopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.6

Unable to shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.8

Difficulty managing money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.4

Unable to manage money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.8

SOURCES: United States: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for

Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

Canada: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

13
Discussion

The United States and Canada are both large countries

with democratic forms of government. Although they are

similar in many respects, differences in their medical care

systems have recently attracted much attention as the United

States considers revising its medical care system. Canada, in

theory, has equal access to medical care for people of all ages;

the United States has relatively equal access only for people

age 65 years and older.

If free universal access to medical care throughout life

reduces the incidence and prevalence of disability, one would

expect the level of disability among older people to be lower

in Canada than in the United States and that the differential

between people in the highest and lowest income groups

would be less.

In fact, the situation is more complicated than that. When

data are adjusted for differences in the age and sex distribution

in the two countries, the prevalence of disability is not

consistently higher in either country nor is the ratio of the

lowest to the highest income group consistently higher. For the

55–64 age group, the differential between people in the

highest- and lowest-income groups is lower in Canada than in

the United States, but at older ages the reverse is the case. In

this context, it is interesting to note that differences between

Canada and the United States are relatively small compared

with the differences between the black population and the rest

of the population in the United States presumably because

income, education, and other factors play an important role,

regardless of the medical care system.

There are a number of possible explanations that should

be considered.

First, the availability of free medical care, in and of itself,

may have little to do with disability at older ages. Appropriate

preventive care could prevent or postpone some physical

disability, but much disability is due to injuries or to lifestyles

that are not appreciably affected by physicians.

Second, while health insurance is not universally available to people under age 65 in the United States, most people

have some form of health insurance coverage. Interpretion of

the relationship between health insurance coverage and disability is made more complicated by adults age 18–64 who are

limited in activity being less likely to have any insurance than

adults who are not limited (10). Furthermore, there are differences in whether the insurance is public or private. Adults who

are limited are less likely to have private coverage, but they

are more likely to have public coverage than adults who are

not limited (10).

Third, people in different countries or in different cultural

groups may interpret questions differently. For example, difficulty managing money may mean something quite different to

a person with a large investment portfolio than it does to

someone living from paycheck to paycheck. Also, in some

instances wording of the questions on the two surveys is

different enough that it might account for some of the differences between the countries.

Fourth, the surveys that provided the data for this report

were both surveys of the noninstitutionalized population. If a

larger proportion of the people are in institutions in one

country than in the other, that could affect levels of disability.

The evidence is that older people in Canada are more likely to

be in institutions than older people in the United States. This

higher rate of institutionalization in Canada might account for

a lower prevalence of reporting severe impairments in Canada.

Fifth, the questions, methods, response rates, and imputations were different in the two surveys. All possible care was

taken to reduce the impact of such differences, but it was not

possible to change the surveys themselves. Although, the

effect of such differences cannot be evaluated, there was no

evidence that they introduced bias. This, of course, does not

preclude the presence of such bias.

Finally, the associations that are examined represent bivariate associations and the associations may be different if

multivariate associations were investigated. For example, the

question of interest with respect to education might be whether

the associations with education are maintained after the data

are adjusted for income.

It should be noted that the various problems arising in

surveys because of nonresponse and methodological difficulties may be more serious when discussing prevalence than

when discussing associations; that is, associations are probably more likely to be robust than prevalence estimates. With

respect to associations, a number of points may be noted as

follows.

First, with respect to the changes with age, the proportion

of the population with reported disabilities consistently increase

with age, both in the United States and in Canada. Sometimes

these increases are not pronounced, but there are few instances

when this pattern is not observed. Moreover, this increase

appears to be greater than linear, and appears to approximate

more closely to an exponential increase; the prevalence is

sometimes several times higher in an age group ten years

older (12).

14
Second, with respect to differences between males and

females, women are consistently more likely to have one of

the disabilities than men.

In summary, a number of the associations are similar in

the United States and in Canada. Specifically, the differences

between males and females and the relationship with age are

similar. The relationships with income, marital status, family

size, and education are also generally similar. These four

variables are all related to socioeconomic status and the

similarity suggests that health care is only one of many

variables influencing the prevalence of disability.

An extension of the present study might provide useful

results. A specific suggestion is the desirability of establishing

a common data base, at least for the key indicators. The more

the various questions are standardized, and not only in institutions, but also in agencies providing care in the community,

the easier it will be to exploit the data that are being collected.

The present study indicates that responses are sensitive to

wording. Therefore, it might be useful to develop a set of

agreed-on core questions that would be widely used in both

the United States and in Canada.

Another important aspect is that the data are crosssectional, which makes it difficult to draw many conclusions

of particular interest. There are two issues. First, as shown by

the present analyses, the effects of institutionalization and, by

implication, death, present problems in making inferences

since a cross-sectional study of an older population represents

a selected population. A well-defined longitudinal study might

overcome some of these difficulties. Second, at present there

are no generally agreed-on outcome variables, apart from

death and institutionalization. It may be useful, therefore, to

have some quality-of-life measures that could be derived from

the present data in conjunction with newly developed indices

(13, 14). Autonomy, the absence of incontinence, the absence

of falls, optimal drug utilization, etc. probably contribute to

the quality of life. However, it is less clear how these variables

can be operationalized.

Last, it would be useful if other countries participated in a

similar type of project. A more extensive analysis of the

relevant data could clarify the prevalence of disability in the

world.

15
References

1. World Health Organization. International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities, and Handicaps. World Health Organization.

Geneva. 1980.

2. United Nations. 1989 Demographic Yearbook. United Nations

Publishers, N.Y. 1991.

3. The World in Figures. G.K. Hall & Co. Boston, MA. 1988.

4. National Center for Health Statistics. Health United States,

1987. U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington, DC. 1988.

5. Spencer G. Projections of the population of the United States,

by age, sex, and race: 1988 to 2080. Current Population

Reports. Series P-25. No. 1018. U.S. Bureau of the Census.

U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington, DC. 1988.

6. Fuchs VR, Hahn JS. How does Canada do it? A comparison of

expenditures for physicians’ services in the United States and

Canada. N Engl J Med 323(13):884–90. 1990.

7. Taylor MG. Health insurance and Canadian public policy: the

seven decisions that created the Canadian health insurance

system. McGill-Queen’s University Press. Montreal, Quebec,

Canada. 1978.

8. Taylor MG. Insuring national health care: the Canadian experience. University of North Carolina Press. Chapel Hill, NC.

1990.

9. Marmor TR. The politics of Medicare. Aldine Publishing Company. Chicago. 1973.

10. LaPlante MP. Disability, health insurance coverage, and utilization of acute health services in the United States. Washington,

DC. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 1993.

11. Forbes WF, Jackson JA, Kraus AS. Institutionalization of the

elderly in Canada. Butterworth’s Perspectives on Individual and

Population Series. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Butterworth’s.

1987.

12. Hing E, Bloom B. Long-term care for the functionally dependent elderly. NCHS. Vital Health Stat 13(104). 1990.

13. Forbes WF, Hayward LM, Agwani N. Factors associated with

the prevalence of various self-reported impairments among

older people residing in the community. Canadian Journal of

Public Health 82 (July/August):240–44. 1991.

14. Kovar MG, Poe GS. The National Health Interview Survey

Design 1973–84, and Procedures 1975–83. Vital Health Stat

1(18). U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington, DC. 1985.

15. Fitti JE, Kovar MG. The Supplement on Aging to the 1984

National Health Interview Survey. Vital Health Stat 1(21). U.S.

Government Printing Office, Washington, DC. 1987.

16. Statistics Canada. Health and Social Support - 1985, Public Use

Micro Data File Documentation and User’s Guide. December,

1986.

17. Madow WG, Nisselson H, Olkin I. Incomplete data in sample

surveys, volume 1: report and case studies. Academic Press,

N.Y. 1983.

18. SAS Institute, Inc. SASt procedures guide, version 6, third

edition. SAS Institute Inc. Cary. 1990.

19. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Statistics of the

United States, 1984. Volume II, Mortality, Part A, Section 6.

U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington, DC. 1987.

20. Hing E. Nursing home utilization by current residents: United

States, 1985. Vital Health Stat 13(102). U.S. Government

Printing Office. Washington, DC. 1989.

16
List of detail tables

1. Difficulty walking for a quarter of a mile among people 55

years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics: United States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

2. Difficulty walking 400 meters without resting among

people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected

characteristics: Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

3. Inability to walk for a quarter of a mile among people 55

years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics: United States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

4. Inability to walk 400 meters without resting among people

55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected

characteristics: Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

5. Difficulty walking up 10 steps without resting among

people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected

characteristics: United States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

6. Difficulty walking up and down a flight of stairs among

people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected

characteristics: Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

7. Inability to walk up 10 steps without resting among people

55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected

characteristics: United States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

8. Inability to walk up and down a flight of stairs among

people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected

characteristics: Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

9. Difficulty stooping, crouching, or kneeling among people

55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected

characteristics: United States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

10. Difficulty bending down to pick up an object from the

floor among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex,

and selected characteristics: Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . 29

11. Inability to stoop, crouch, or kneel among people 55 years

of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

12. Inability to bend down to pick up an object from the floor

among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and

selected characteristics: Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

13. Difficulty standing for about 2 hours among people 55

years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics: United States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

14. Difficulty standing for long periods of time among people

55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected

characteristics: Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

15. Inability to stand for about 2 hours among people 55 years

of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

16. Inability to stand for long periods of time among people

55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected

characteristics: Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

17. Difficulty using fingers to grasp among people 55 years of

age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

18. Difficulty using fingers to grasp or handle among people

55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected

characteristics: Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

19. Inability to use fingers to grasp among people 55 years of

age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

20. Inability to use fingers to grasp or handle among people 55

years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics: Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

21. Difficulty reaching up over head among people 55 years of

age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

22. Difficulty reaching above head among people 55 years of

age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

23. Inability to reach up over head among people 55 years of

age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

24. Inability to reach above head among people 55 years of

age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

25. Difficulty lifting or carrying 10 pounds among people 55

years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics: United States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

26. Difficulty carrying a 12-pound bag of groceries about 30

feet among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex,

and selected characteristics: Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . 45

27. Inability to lift or carry 10 pounds among people 55 years

of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

28. Inability to carry a 12-pound bag of groceries about 30

feet among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex,

and selected characteristics: Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . 47

29. Inability to read newsprint among people 55 years of age

and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics: United

States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

30. Inability to see to read a newspaper among people 55

years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics: Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

31. Difficulty doing heavy housework among people 55 years

of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

32. Difficulty doing heavy housework among people 55 years

of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

33. Inability to do heavy housework among people 55 years of

age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

34. Inability to do heavy housework among people 55 years of

age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

35. Difficulty doing light housework among people 55 years

of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

36. Difficulty doing light housework among people 55 years

of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

17
37. Inability to do light housework among people 55 years of

age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

38. Inability to do light housework among people 55 years of

age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

39. Difficulty preparing meals among people 55 years of age

and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics: United

States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

40. Difficulty preparing meals on a regular basis among

people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected

characteristics: Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

41. Inability to prepare meals among people 55 years of age

and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics: United

States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

42. Inability to prepare meals on a regular basis among people

55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected

characteristics: Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

43. Difficulty shopping for personal items among people 55

years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics: United States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

44. Difficulty shopping for groceries among people 55 years

of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

45. Inability to shop for personal items among people 55 years

of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

46. Inability to shop for groceries among people 55 years of

age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

47. Difficulty managing money among people 55 years of age

and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics: United

States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

48. Difficulty managing money among people 55 years of age

and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics: Canada,

1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

49. Inability to manage money among people 55 years of age

and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics: United

States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

50. Inability to manage money among people 55 years of age

and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics: Canada,

1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

18

Symbols

- - - Data not available

. . . Category not applicable

− Quantity zero

0.0 Quantity more than zero but

less than 0.05

Z Quantity more than zero but

less than 500 where numbers

are rounded to thousands

* Figure does not meet standard

of reliability or precision
Guide to detailed tables

The tables show the percent of the noninstitutionalized

population 55 years of age and over by age, sex, family

income, education, marital status, family size and type, and

number of physician visits in the past year with the specified

disability. Data for the United States are for the population

other than black in 1984. Data for Canada are for 1985.

Disability and country

Table

number

Difficulty walking

United States ................................ 1

Canada .................................... 2

Inability to walk

United States ................................ 3

Canada .................................... 4

Difficulty climbing steps

United States ................................ 5

Canada .................................... 6

Inability to climb steps

United States ................................ 7

Canada .................................... 8

Difficulty bending

United States ................................ 9

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Inability to bend

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Difficulty standing

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Inability to stand

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Difficulty grasping

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Inability to grasp

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Difficulty reaching

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Inability to reach

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Difficulty lifting

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Inability to lift

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Disability and country

Table

number

Inability to read newsprint

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Difficulty doing heavy housework

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Inability to do heavy housework

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Difficulty doing light housework

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Inability to do light housework

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Difficulty preparing meals

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Inability to prepare meals

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Difficulty shopping

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Inability to shop

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Difficulty managing money

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Inability to manage money

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

19
Table 1. Difficulty walking for a quarter of a mile among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20,075 9,427 10,649 14,925 6,517 8,408 9,326 3,411 5,915

Percent

Total .............................. 22.3 14.8 14.6 15.1 22.1 20.9 23.1 38.6 31.8 42.6

Income in quintiles

1 (low) ............................. 38.4 39.0 40.5 38.1 34.2 34.0 34.3 44.4 39.7 45.9

2 ................................ 29.9 26.3 32.0 23.2 27.1 28.8 25.9 39.5 36.5 41.4

3 ................................ 21.6 16.6 19.7 14.5 19.8 20.2 19.4 33.5 26.8 38.8

4 ................................ 17.2 10.3 11.1 9.5 16.4 17.0 15.7 33.0 23.7 39.5

5 (high) ............................ 16.7 7.4 6.9 8.1 13.8 11.0 17.0 39.3 29.8 46.0

Education

0–8 years ........................... 10.9 31.2 26.8 35.3 31.2 28.6 33.5 43.4 35.8 48.6

9–12 years .......................... 20.6 13.3 15.1 12.1 20.9 20.8 21.0 35.9 29.0 39.4

13 or more years ...................... 15.0 8.6 7.8 9.6 13.2 11.7 14.7 31.4 24.6 35.1

Marital status

Married ............................ 20.4 12.8 13.6 12.0 20.2 20.3 20.2 34.6 31.0 40.6

Not married .......................... 23.8 13.0 *20.9 *10.1 25.6 23.4 26.2 42.0 *34.8 43.6

Previously married ..................... 24.0 10.8 22.1 7.8 26.4 25.2 26.6 42.5 36.1 43.9

Family size and type

1 person ............................ 24.9 20.8 19.5 21.3 24.7 23.5 25.1 36.6 30.5 38.0

Alone ............................. 24.3 20.5 17.9 21.7 24.4 22.8 24.9 35.9 29.5 37.3

2 persons ........................... 21.0 13.8 13.4 14.1 19.9 19.0 20.9 35.9 30.5 42.4

Spouse ............................ 19.6 12.7 13.0 12.3 19.4 19.0 19.8 32.7 30.0 37.4

3 or more persons ..................... 26.7 14.1 15.2 12.8 26.3 26.4 26.3 54.9 40.7 63.0

Doctor visits in past year

None .............................. 12.5 7.6 7.0 8.3 12.1 11.6 12.5 23.0 15.7 28.2

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.2 7.1 8.0 6.3 10.7 11.4 10.1 25.6 17.4 30.3

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.1 11.4 11.7 11.1 17.4 16.1 18.4 33.8 29.5 36.3

7–12 .............................. 26.9 18.5 22.1 15.8 27.8 26.8 28.6 43.0 38.5 45.7

13 or more .......................... 42.4 34.9 37.3 33.3 41.4 40.4 41.6 60.3 54.1 63.4

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

20
Table 2. Difficulty walking 400 meters without resting among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

Canada, 1985

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2,311 1,109 1,202 1,573 722 851 900 334 556

Percent

Total .............................. 21.4 11.6 10.2 13.0 21.1 19.0 22.9 42.3 33.5 47.8

Income in quintiles

1 (low) ............................. 27.7 19.9 *24.8 18.0 27.2 32.9 24.9 41.4 33.4 44.6

2 ................................ 16.6 19.9 * 18.6 21.2 18.2 24.0 44.0 38.3 48.1

3 ................................ 20.7 11.5 *14.0 9.6 19.3 20.1 18.7 40.0 *32.2 *47.9

4 ................................ 21.0 10.6 8.6 13.1 20.2 15.7 25.0 41.6 *25.6 *52.4

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.6 5.8 5.1 7.0 15.3 11.3 *22.2 *45.7 * *

Education

0–8 years ........................... 26.8 16.8 18.1 15.5 28.0 21.4 34.1 45.2 38.4 50.2

9–12 years .......................... 19.1 10.8 5.4 15.3 17.2 20.3 15.1 41.1 *24.9 49.1

13 or more years ...................... 14.6 6.2 4.3 7.9 13.9 12.2 15.6 34.2 *25.5 38.2

Marital status

Married ............................ 21.0 10.2 8.5 12.0 21.1 18.0 25.2 40.1 35.2 46.5

Not married .......................... 24.2 17.3 20.6 15.7 21.2 22.8 20.7 44.2 30.1 48.4

Previously married ..................... 25.5 18.6 *23.4 17.4 21.7 25.7 20.8 43.8 29.1 48.0

Family size and type

1 person ............................ 22.8 15.9 *14.6 16.6 21.9 25.5 20.5 40.4 29.9 43.4

Alone ............................. 19.4 18.1 *17.4 18.2 21.7 24.9 20.3 38.5 32.6 10.1

2 persons ........................... 20.5 11.0 8.6 13.3 18.4 16.4 20.5 41.5 34.1 49.4

Spouse ............................ 20.2 10.7 8.3 13.1 18.5 16.4 21.1 40.4 36.5 45.3

3 or more persons ..................... 25.6 10.7 11.0 10.5 28.1 21.7 35.9 50.6 *36.9 59.1

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.8 3.1 *2.4 *4.0 10.5 9.5 11.6 19.2 *7.3 *31.4

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.1 3.6 3.1 4.1 10.9 10.9 11.0 30.4 18.9 39.6

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.8 10.6 11.0 10.3 18.3 17.5 19.0 41.9 38.2 44.0

7–12 .............................. 32.6 21.3 *20.5 *22.1 39.2 38.3 39.9 46.0 *49.3 44.2

13 or more .......................... 41.6 54.5 * *57.1 42.6 *37.2 *46.6 65.8 *53.3 71.3

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

21
Table 3. Inability to walk for a quarter of a mile among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20,075 9,427 10,649 14,925 6,517 8,408 9,326 3,411 5,915

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.3 4.6 4.2 4.9 8.3 7.4 8.9 21.0 15.5 24.2

Income in quintiles

1 (low) ............................. 16.4 14.6 12.8 15.6 15.1 13.5 15.6 24.7 19.3 26.4

2 ................................ 12.0 8.2 10.2 7.1 11.0 11.7 10.5 21.1 18.8 22.6

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.3 5.5 5.7 5.4 5.6 5.5 5.7 17.6 11.6 22.3

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.7 2.7 2.8 2.6 4.8 4.7 4.8 17.8 11.4 22.3

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.8 1.9 1.9 1.8 6.0 5.2 7.0 22.5 16.2 26.9

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.5 9.8 8.2 11.3 12.9 11.6 14.0 24.4 18.1 28.6

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.4 4.2 4.4 4.1 7.5 6.6 8.1 19.2 13.5 22.0

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.8 2.4 2.0 3.0 4.2 3.8 4.6 15.3 11.2 17.5

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.2 3.8 3.8 3.8 7.4 7.2 7.6 17.2 14.8 21.1

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.3 7.7 *7.4 *7.8 9.7 7.6 10.3 24.0 *18.0 25.3

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.8 8.1 9.5 7.8 10.0 7.0 10.7 24.3 19.0 25.5

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.1 6.5 2.4 8.4 8.6 6.3 9.2 19.4 14.8 20.4

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.7 6.5 1.9 8.5 8.4 5.7 9.1 18.7 14.2 19.7

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.7 4.2 4.2 4.2 7.6 6.8 8.4 18.4 14.4 23.0

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.7 3.8 3.7 3.8 7.2 6.8 7.6 15.6 14.0 18.3

3 or more persons ..................... 13.0 4.4 4.7 4.1 10.5 10.6 10.5 35.7 22.6 43.3

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6 2.2 1.5 3.1 3.3 3.4 3.3 11.4 7.7 13.9

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3 1.2 1.0 1.3 2.9 2.1 3.6 13.1 9.9 14.8

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.9 3.6 3.1 4.0 5.9 5.8 5.9 15.7 10.8 18.6

7–12 .............................. 10.9 6.1 7.8 4.7 9.3 8.6 9.8 23.5 19.6 25.8

13 or more .......................... 19.7 12.4 13.9 11.3 18.8 17.3 19.9 36.8 28.9 40.8

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

22
Table 4. Inability to walk 400 meters without resting among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

Canada, 1985

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2,311 1,109 1,202 1,573 722 851 900 334 556

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.8 3.2 2.6 3.7 5.2 5.2 5.2 16.9 10.8 20.7

Income in quintiles

1 (low) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.9 6.9 *9.7 5.8 5.6 6.6 5.2 11.9 9.6 12.8

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.5 5.3 * 3.3 6.3 6.6 6.0 21.1 12.8 27.1

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.3 3.2 *3.4 3.1 3.9 2.9 4.7 14.8 *8.0 *21.7

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.9 3.5 2.2 5.1 5.0 5.4 4.6 21.0 *13.7 *26.0

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 0.5 0.0 1.3 4.9 4.3 *5.9 *18.3 * *

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.9 4.2 4.1 4.4 7.0 5.3 8.5 16.8 13.5 19.4

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.6 3.1 1.7 4.3 3.3 4.8 2.1 20.0 *6.2 26.8

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.7 1.8 1.3 2.3 4.4 5.7 3.1 11.9 *6.1 14.6

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.8 2.4 1.4 3.5 5.0 4.9 5.1 16.5 11.1 23.6

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.5 6.3 10.3 4.3 5.6 6.2 5.4 17.3 10.3 19.3

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.6 6.6 *13.9 4.7 5.6 7.5 5.1 17.6 11.6 19.4

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.3 5.7 *9.0 3.8 3.5 6.2 2.5 15.3 11.6 16.3

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.4 6.5 *11.0 4.1 2.7 4.8 1.9 14.4 13.2 14.7

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.8 2.9 1.4 4.4 4.2 3.9 4.5 16.9 8.9 25.3

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.3 2.5 1.0 4.0 3.8 3.7 3.9 15.8 10.3 22.8

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.4 2.5 2.5 2.4 10.5 7.9 13.7 21.7 *17.9 24.0

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 1.2 *1.1 *1.3 1.1 0.9 1.2 8.3 *1.1 *15.6

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.6 0.7 0.4 0.9 2.4 3.8 1.1 11.3 5.9 15.6

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3 1.3 0.6 1.9 3.7 3.1 4.1 12.0 10.0 13.1

7–12 .............................. 10.2 7.0 *7.1 *7.0 8.1 10.9 6.2 19.8 *22.8 18.3

13 or more .......................... 17.2 17.9 * *18.3 17.5 *13.1 *20.7 34.7 *15.4 *43.2

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

23
Table 5. Difficulty walking up 10 steps without resting among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20,075 9,427 10,649 14,925 6,517 8,408 9,326 3,411 5,915

Percent

Total .............................. 18.7 13.0 10.7 15.0 18.5 15.3 21.1 31.5 24.3 35.6

Income in quintiles

1 (low) ............................. 33.1 35.4 33.3 36.7 29.7 25.5 31.2 36.8 31.2 38.7

2 ................................ 25.3 22.4 22.9 22.2 24.6 23.6 25.3 32.4 29.6 34.2

3 ................................ 17.5 14.4 14.2 14.5 15.4 14.5 16.3 26.8 20.2 31.9

4 ................................ 14.0 9.6 8.9 10.3 12.0 10.8 13.2 25.8 15.1 33.2

5 (high) ............................ 14.1 6.0 4.3 8.0 11.7 7.0 17.1 32.3 22.1 39.4

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.1 25.9 20.7 30.8 27.2 22.9 31.0 36.2 28.1 41.6

9–12 years .......................... 22.2 11.9 10.2 17.5 17.0 14.0 26.3 28.7 21.2 53.4

13 or more years ...................... 12.6 7.7 6.9 8.7 11.2 8.3 14.1 24.4 18.2 27.8

Marital status

Married ............................ 16.9 11.1 9.7 12.6 16.4 14.5 18.7 27.1 23.9 32.5

Not married .......................... 22.9 20.2 *18.4 *20.8 22.3 17.7 23.7 34.7 *26.6 36.5

Previously married ..................... 20.0 20.3 19.4 8.5 23.3 18.2 19.6 35.3 27.8 39.5

Family size and type

1 person ............................ 21.0 19.1 15.7 20.6 21.6 17.5 22.8 29.7 21.6 31.5

Alone ............................. 20.5 18.4 13.6 20.5 21.6 17.1 22.9 29.3 21.0 31.2

2 persons ........................... 17.8 12.1 10.0 14.0 16.9 14.3 19.6 28.9 23.8 35.0

Spouse ............................ 16.7 11.3 9.6 12.9 16.3 14.2 18.6 26.1 23.2 31.0

3 or more persons ..................... 22.0 11.7 10.5 13.0 19.7 17.3 22.5 46.6 31.7 55.2

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.5 5.5 4.2 7.0 6.8 5.6 8.0 17.0 13.6 19.4

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.3 5.3 4.2 6.3 9.6 8.5 10.5 22.0 14.8 26.0

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.4 10.2 8.0 12.1 15.8 13.3 17.6 26.3 21.9 28.9

7–12 .............................. 23.1 17.8 18.0 17.7 22.6 18.3 25.9 35.4 29.5 38.8

13 or more .......................... 31.7 33.9 33.3 19.8 35.7 31.1 24.9 51.0 39.3 56.9

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

24
Table 6. Difficulty walking up and down a flight of stairs among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected

characteristics: Canada, 1985

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2,311 1,109 1,202 1,573 722 851 900 334 556

Percent

Total .............................. 26.8 18.1 14.5 21.5 27.2 20.9 32.6 44.4 29.9 52.7

Income in quintiles

1 (low) ............................. 35.2 30.4 *27.8 31.4 37.7 37.1 37.9 45.5 24.4 54.0

2 ................................ 24.6 28.4 * 27.3 27.0 25.4 28.5 40.9 25.4 51.9

3 ................................ 27.0 16.3 *19.9 13.6 27.4 18.9 33.9 48.0 *44.7 *51.4

4 ................................ 25.5 16.3 11.0 23.0 22.4 13.6 32.0 45.0 *38.0 *49.7

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.7 11.5 9.9 14.5 15.6 11.1 *23.4 *40.4 * *

Education

0–8 years ........................... 33.6 26.6 22.1 31.2 33.7 25.2 41.6 45.2 32.8 54.4

9–12 years .......................... 23.9 15.1 10.9 18.5 23.6 17.4 28.0 45.3 *23.4 56.1

13 or more years ...................... 19.8 11.6 7.7 15.2 20.1 16.4 23.5 37.1 *28.0 41.3

Marital status

Married ............................ 26.8 16.8 13.1 20.8 24.4 20.2 30.0 44.5 33.9 58.4

Not married .......................... 29.0 23.3 22.7 23.6 32.3 23.5 35.2 43.6 21.5 50.1

Previously married ..................... 28.9 25.0 *18.6 26.6 32.7 23.8 34.8 44.8 19.9 51.9

Family size and type

1 person ............................ 29.6 23.8 *17.2 27.7 33.8 27.9 36.0 44.3 19.5 51.5

Alone ............................. 30.6 27.1 *21.2 30.3 31.9 27.5 33.7 43.7 22.2 49.7

2 persons ........................... 25.7 17.7 13.9 21.2 22.8 18.6 27.3 43.0 32.2 54.5

Spouse ............................ 26.3 17.4 13.5 21.1 22.4 19.2 26.3 45.3 34.7 58.7

3 or more persons ..................... 28.5 16.4 14.4 18.5 31.0 22.1 41.6 46.3 *36.7 52.4

Doctor visits in past year

None .............................. 14.9 8.9 *6.8 *11.6 13.5 14.2 12.8 26.3 *16.3 *36.6

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.2 9.3 5.3 13.1 19.3 15.7 22.8 29.1 22.0 34.8

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.2 19.8 16.0 22.6 24.8 16.1 32.1 42.4 28.0 50.7

7–12 .............................. 37.3 27.4 *31.9 *22.6 42.9 38.3 46.0 51.1 *47.9 52.8

13 or more .......................... 44.7 57.3 * *60.8 49.1 *36.3 *58.5 67.5 *36.0 *81.4

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

25
Table 7. Inability to walk up 10 steps without resting among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20,075 9,427 10,649 14,925 6,517 8,408 9,326 3,411 5,915

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.6 3.2 2.8 3.6 5.8 4.7 6.7 15.2 11.2 17.5

Income in quintiles

1 (low) ............................. 12.2 11.5 9.6 12.5 10.4 8.3 11.2 18.5 16.0 19.3

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.1 6.4 8.0 5.6 8.5 9.1 8.1 14.8 13.7 15.6

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.6 3.4 4.9 2.7 4.1 4.0 4.2 11.6 7.8 14.7

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.7 1.8 1.2 2.4 2.8 1.9 3.8 13.2 6.5 17.9

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.6 1.0 0.9 1.2 3.9 2.3 5.8 16.9 11.4 20.8

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.2 8.2 6.6 9.6 9.1 7.7 10.3 17.8 14.0 20.4

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.7 2.8 2.8 2.8 5.1 4.1 5.8 13.2 8.3 15.7

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1 1.3 1.1 1.6 3.2 2.0 4.5 11.4 8.0 13.2

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.7 2.7 2.5 2.9 5.2 4.5 6.0 11.9 10.9 13.6

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.0 5.2 *4.5 *5.4 7.0 5.5 7.5 17.5 *12.8 18.6

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.4 5.3 5.7 5.2 7.4 6.2 7.7 17.9 13.6 18.9

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.4 4.7 0.5 6.6 6.3 3.8 7.1 14.2 9.9 15.1

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.2 4.8 0.6 6.5 6.3 3.4 7.1 13.7 9.2 14.7

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.1 3.0 3.0 3.0 5.3 4.2 6.4 12.9 10.9 15.4

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.4 2.7 2.5 2.9 5.0 4.1 6.1 11.1 10.6 12.0

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.3 3.0 3.2 2.9 7.2 7.3 7.0 26.4 15.0 33.0

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3 1.9 1.6 2.1 2.0 1.5 2.4 8.4 5.9 10.2

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5 0.9 1.0 0.9 2.8 1.6 3.7 10.1 8.3 11.1

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3 2.0 1.9 2.1 4.0 3.6 4.3 9.7 7.3 11.2

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.7 4.4 4.5 4.4 6.2 5.9 6.5 17.2 13.3 19.5

13 or more .......................... 14.3 8.3 7.8 8.7 14.1 11.7 15.9 28.0 20.3 32.0

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

26
Table 8. Inability to walk up and down a flight of stairs among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected

characteristics: Canada, 1985

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2,311 1,109 1,202 1,573 722 851 900 334 556

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.2 1.6 2.0 1.2 3.8 2.3 5.0 10.5 5.1 13.9

Income in quintiles

1 (low) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.8 3.7 *6.0 2.7 5.3 4.8 5.5 10.8 3.8 13.6

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.0 1.3 * 0.9 4.5 2.8 6.3 10.1 7.4 12.1

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.8 1.3 *3.4 0.0 2.5 0.7 3.9 8.5 *1.2 *15.9

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.2 1.0 0.0 2.4 4.1 3.6 4.6 10.3 *5.5 *13.5

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2 1.3 2.0 0.0 1.6 0.3 *3.8 *15.9 * *

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.4 2.2 3.5 0.9 6.1 3.0 9.0 10.7 7.8 12.8

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.8 0.8 0.4 1.1 1.8 1.8 1.8 14.2 *0.6 20.8

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0 1.2 0.9 1.5 1.9 1.8 2.1 4.3 *0.0 6.2

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.5 1.1 1.5 0.7 4.0 2.3 6.3 9.6 4.7 16.2

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.9 3.3 5.3 2.4 3.3 2.1 3.8 11.2 5.9 12.8

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.4 3.4 *7.5 2.4 3.5 2.4 3.8 11.3 6.4 12.7

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.5 4.4 *5.6 3.7 2.5 2.6 2.4 13.0 8.0 14.5

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.6 5.0 *6.8 4.0 2.2 2.4 2.1 12.0 9.2 12.8

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4 1.1 1.1 1.0 3.4 1.9 5.0 7.2 3.6 11.0

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.8 1.0 0.8 1.1 3.3 1.9 4.9 8.4 4.2 13.8

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.0 1.2 2.2 0.0 6.6 3.3 10.6 14.3 *6.4 19.3

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.5 0.2 *0.0 *0.5 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.9 *0.0 *1.8

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 0.1 0.2 0.0 2.6 1.8 3.4 5.3 2.7 7.4

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3 0.7 0.2 1.2 2.5 1.7 3.2 9.8 4.3 13.0

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.6 5.4 *9.7 *0.9 5.8 3.9 7.1 11.6 *8.1 13.4

13 or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.1 6.9 * *5.2 11.4 *5.0 *16.1 20.0 *10.1 *24.3

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

27
Table 9. Difficulty stooping, crouching, or kneeling among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20,075 9,427 10,649 14,925 6,517 8,408 9,326 3,411 5,915

Percent

Total .............................. 32.0 24.5 21.3 27.3 33.9 30.3 36.7 45.3 38.2 49.4

Income in quintiles

1 (low) ............................. 45.5 46.2 39.7 49.9 45.4 41.2 46.9 49.5 40.5 52.5

2 ................................ 39.9 36.9 36.8 37.0 39.1 39.4 38.8 47.5 46.9 48.0

3 ................................ 32.4 28.3 27.4 28.9 31.6 30.2 32.8 41.6 33.5 48.0

4 ................................ 27.3 20.2 18.3 22.1 27.4 25.1 29.7 40.9 32.2 47.0

5 (high) ............................ 25.9 16.1 14.7 17.9 27.0 20.7 34.1 42.1 32.5 48.7

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.3 37.6 30.9 43.7 41.5 38.1 44.6 49.3 41.2 54.8

9–12 years .......................... 31.3 24.8 22.1 26.8 33.4 29.2 36.1 43.1 36.4 46.4

13 or more years ...................... 24.6 16.4 15.5 17.6 25.5 22.7 28.2 40.3 33.4 44.0

Marital status

Married ............................ 30.8 22.9 21.0 25.0 32.8 30.2 36.0 41.2 38.6 45.3

Not married .......................... 34.2 30.6 *23.9 *33.0 35.7 29.5 37.4 48.8 *38.5 51.1

Previously married ..................... 35.5 31.7 26.8 33.0 37.1 31.9 38.4 49.5 38.2 51.9

Family size and type

1 person ............................ 33.2 28.9 21.0 32.4 36.2 31.8 37.5 45.6 36.7 47.7

Alone ............................. 32.8 28.6 18.8 32.7 36.3 31.9 37.5 45.5 37.1 47.4

2 persons ........................... 31.4 24.3 21.2 27.1 33.2 30.1 36.5 41.3 37.0 46.5

Spouse ............................ 30.7 23.5 20.9 26.1 33.2 30.4 36.4 39.6 37.8 42.7

3 or more persons ..................... 33.8 22.8 21.6 24.2 32.5 30.0 35.5 58.1 47.2 64.3

Doctor visits in past year

None .............................. 19.9 13.3 11.3 15.7 21.5 20.2 22.8 30.3 25.8 33.5

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.9 14.1 13.3 14.7 21.7 19.5 23.5 34.2 26.4 38.7

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.7 22.1 20.7 23.4 29.3 25.5 32.0 41.9 36.7 44.9

7–12 .............................. 38.9 32.4 30.0 34.3 41.2 39.1 42.8 49.3 42.9 53.1

13 or more .......................... 53.9 49.1 44.8 52.0 55.1 48.5 59.9 63.8 55.0 68.3

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

28
Table 10. Difficulty bending down to pick up an object from the floor among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected

characteristics: Canada, 1985

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2,311 1,109 1,202 1,573 722 851 900 334 556

Percent

Total .............................. 24.2 19.0 19.5 18.6 23.7 19.8 27.0 35.9 31.0 38.9

Income in quintiles

1 (low) ............................. 30.3 23.8 *22.4 24.3 35.3 37.5 34.3 37.3 31.1 39.8

2 ................................ 20.1 26.1 * 23.1 22.4 22.4 22.4 33.0 30.9 34.5

3 ................................ 23.0 17.2 *22.8 13.1 21.4 17.1 24.6 35.1 *28.3 *42.1

4 ................................ 24.7 22.6 24.6 20.2 19.0 11.5 27.3 36.7 *34.1 *38.4

5 (high) ............................ 12.0 12.4 11.6 14.0 16.9 13.9 *21.8 *43.1 * *

Education

0–8 years ........................... 31.0 27.4 31.3 23.5 30.3 24.0 36.3 39.1 34.8 42.4

9–12 years .......................... 21.2 18.0 15.4 20.1 19.4 16.5 21.4 32.0 *24.0 35.9

13 or more years ...................... 17.3 10.2 8.3 11.9 17.6 15.6 19.5 32.3 *26.6 34.9

Marital status

Married ............................ 23.9 18.1 19.0 17.1 24.1 20.3 29.2 34.0 32.8 35.5

Not married .......................... 25.1 22.8 22.5 23.0 22.9 17.6 24.7 37.5 27.5 40.5

Previously married ..................... 24.4 21.1 *20.7 21.2 23.3 18.4 24.5 38.0 27.6 40.9

Family size and type

1 person ............................ 23.8 20.6 *17.1 22.8 24.1 19.8 25.7 34.6 25.3 37.3

Alone ............................. 25.0 23.1 *21.0 24.3 23.5 20.4 24.8 34.1 28.7 35.6

2 persons ........................... 23.0 16.9 14.1 19.5 21.9 19.0 25.0 36.0 32.4 39.8

Spouse ............................ 22.8 17.2 14.0 20.2 21.8 19.6 24.7 34.8 33.9 35.9

3 or more persons ..................... 27.8 21.6 27.6 14.9 28.3 22.0 35.9 39.3 *34.4 42.4

Doctor visits in past year

None .............................. 12.3 7.1 *7.6 *6.4 12.3 15.8 8.7 20.7 *7.6 *34.1

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.9 11.3 15.8 7.0 16.2 12.7 19.5 25.1 24.3 25.7

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.8 18.1 15.1 20.2 19.9 16.9 22.4 38.2 39.3 37.6

7–12 .............................. 37.8 37.4 *33.6 *41.3 39.1 36.4 40.9 35.9 *38.5 34.6

13 or more .......................... 36.3 51.1 * *46.0 44.2 *28.7 *55.5 51.3 *37.5 *57.4

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

29
Table 11. Inability to stoop, crouch, or kneel among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20,075 9,427 10,649 14,925 6,517 8,408 9,326 3,411 5,915

Percent

Total .............................. 10.1 6.1 4.8 7.2 9.8 7.7 11.5 19.0 13.1 22.3

Income in quintiles

1 (low) ............................. 17.7 17.0 13.2 19.2 18.2 13.1 20.0 22.8 14.7 25.4

2 ................................ 13.0 10.2 12.2 9.2 12.3 12.5 12.2 19.2 17.9 20.1

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.4 7.8 8.3 7.4 7.6 6.6 8.4 14.9 9.3 19.3

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.5 4.0 2.8 5.1 6.1 4.5 7.6 16.3 9.5 21.0

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.8 2.7 1.9 3.7 6.3 5.1 7.7 19.9 12.3 25.1

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.5 12.2 10.1 14.1 15.4 11.8 18.6 22.5 16.0 26.9

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.0 5.8 4.7 6.6 8.8 7.3 9.7 17.2 10.9 20.3

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.3 3.3 2.5 4.2 5.5 3.7 7.3 13.5 9.6 15.7

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.1 5.2 4.6 6.0 8.8 7.6 10.2 15.5 13.2 19.4

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.6 9.4 *7.0 *10.3 11.6 7.7 12.8 21.4 *13.1 23.3

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.8 9.7 7.3 10.4 12.1 8.2 13.0 21.7 12.0 23.8

Family size and type

1 person ............................ 10.2 8.2 3.3 10.4 11.2 7.6 12.3 18.7 10.3 20.6

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.9 8.2 2.3 10.7 11.3 7.1 12.5 18.2 9.8 20.1

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.4 5.8 5.1 6.3 9.0 7.2 10.7 16.1 12.8 20.1

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.8 5.3 4.8 5.9 8.7 7.3 10.3 14.7 12.9 17.7

3 or more persons ..................... 12.6 5.7 4.8 6.8 10.9 9.8 12.2 29.6 19.7 35.2

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.1 2.6 2.7 2.5 4.7 3.6 5.7 10.5 6.5 13.3

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2 2.3 1.9 2.6 4.7 2.6 6.4 12.1 8.1 14.4

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.9 5.2 4.0 6.3 7.4 7.8 7.1 14.5 10.1 17.0

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.4 7.1 7.3 6.9 11.3 9.3 12.9 20.7 15.0 24.1

13 or more .......................... 20.7 15.7 12.1 18.2 20.7 15.8 24.2 33.1 24.8 37.3

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

30
Table 12. Inability to bend down to pick up an object from the floor among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected

characteristics: Canada, 1985

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2,311 1,109 1,202 1,573 722 851 900 334 556

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.9 2.6 2.6 2.7 4.1 3.2 6.8 9.0 7.3 10.0

Income in quintiles

1 (low) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.8 2.6 *3.7 2.2 5.0 6.8 4.2 8.1 5.9 8.9

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.4 3.7 * 3.9 5.0 4.5 5.5 8.2 7.7 8.6

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.9 0.6 *0.7 0.6 2.3 1.6 2.9 11.4 *4.1 *18.8

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.5 2.5 1.6 3.7 5.2 2.8 7.9 6.9 *13.7 *2.3

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6 3.6 3.8 3.2 2.3 0.9 *4.5 *14.5 * *

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.3 4.2 5.2 3.1 6.4 4.4 8.3 10.7 10.9 10.6

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 2.1 1.1 2.9 2.1 2.1 2.0 7.5 *1.6 10.4

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.8 1.5 0.8 2.1 3.0 2.7 3.2 5.8 *1.0 8.1

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.1 2.8 2.4 3.2 4.3 3.4 5.5 9.6 7.0 13.0

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.0 2.1 3.5 1.4 3.6 2.5 4.0 8.5 8.1 8.6

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1 2.0 *5.0 1.2 3.7 2.2 4.0 7.9 7.7 7.9

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1 3.2 *5.1 2.1 2.5 3.2 2.2 8.3 4.8 9.3

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.9 3.7 *6.3 2.3 2.2 3.4 1.8 5.8 5.5 5.9

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1 2.1 0.6 3.5 3.8 2.7 4.9 8.4 7.5 9.3

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3 2.1 0.4 3.9 3.5 2.8 4.3 8.8 7.1 11.0

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.7 3.2 4.6 1.7 7.0 4.7 9.9 12.9 *10.8 14.2

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.8 0.3 *0.0 *0.7 1.2 1.4 1.1 1.2 *1.1 *1.2

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6 0.7 0.4 1.0 2.7 2.1 3.2 2.9 2.0 3.6

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.2 2.0 2.1 2.0 3.1 2.7 3.4 9.2 7.5 10.2

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6 2.2 *1.2 *3.3 5.6 5.9 5.4 7.7 *16.7 3.0

13 or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.1 18.1 * *12.2 12.2 *7.6 *15.7 20.5 *10.6 *24.8

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

31
Table 13. Difficulty standing for about 2 hours among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20,075 9,427 10,649 14,925 6,517 8,408 9,326 3,411 5,915

Percent

Total .............................. 27.0 18.9 16.6 20.8 28.0 26.7 29.0 43.0 36.9 46.6

Income in quintiles

1 (low) ............................. 42.2 44.3 38.2 47.8 37.6 38.2 37.3 47.9 42.7 49.5

2 ................................ 33.9 29.2 31.0 28.2 34.1 36.1 32.8 42.5 40.4 43.9

3 ................................ 27.1 21.4 24.2 19.5 26.1 27.4 24.9 39.6 33.8 44.3

4 ................................ 22.0 14.9 15.3 14.5 21.1 19.9 22.4 37.9 30.2 43.2

5 (high) ............................ 21.4 10.7 8.0 14.0 20.9 17.2 25.2 42.5 35.8 47.2

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.6 30.8 26.6 34.8 36.9 35.9 37.8 47.1 41.3 51.1

9–12 years .......................... 25.7 18.6 17.2 19.7 26.9 26.3 27.3 39.5 33.1 42.6

13 or more years ...................... 20.6 12.5 10.7 14.8 18.8 16.0 21.7 39.7 31.4 44.1

Marital status

Married ............................ 24.8 16.8 16.0 17.7 26.3 26.2 26.6 38.2 36.6 40.7

Not married .......................... 31.0 26.8 *21.3 *28.9 30.7 27.6 31.6 46.8 *38.9 48.6

Previously married ..................... 31.5 27.0 21.1 28.6 32.2 29.5 32.8 47.4 39.9 49.1

Family size and type

1 person ............................ 29.4 25.8 17.1 29.7 29.7 29.0 29.9 43.1 35.5 44.9

Alone ............................. 29.1 25.8 15.7 30.2 29.6 28.6 29.9 42.8 35.6 44.4

2 persons ........................... 25.6 17.9 16.3 19.4 26.7 25.9 27.6 38.7 35.5 42.4

Spouse ............................ 24.4 17.0 15.9 18.2 26.2 26.1 26.2 36.6 35.4 38.6

3 or more persons ..................... 30.3 17.3 17.1 17.7 29.8 27.9 32.1 58.1 47.0 64.3

Doctor visits in past year

None .............................. 15.2 9.9 7.5 12.6 15.5 15.9 15.1 25.2 20.3 28.6

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.9 9.0 9.9 8.3 15.4 14.8 15.7 31.5 28.0 33.5

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.1 15.5 15.1 16.0 23.1 21.9 23.9 39.5 34.3 42.5

7–12 .............................. 32.8 24.9 23.6 25.9 34.5 34.4 34.7 47.3 42.7 50.0

13 or more .......................... 49.6 42.9 40.9 44.3 50.8 48.4 52.5 62.9 54.3 67.3

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

32
Table 14. Difficulty standing for long periods of time among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

Canada, 1985

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2,311 1,109 1,202 1,573 722 851 900 334 556

Percent

Total .............................. 25.7 19.5 19.9 19.1 24.1 21.9 25.9 41.4 30.9 47.9

Income in quintiles

1 (low) ............................. 32.0 26.6 *27.4 26.3 34.5 33.3 35.0 41.0 29.4 45.7

2 ................................ 22.9 26.3 * 26.5 23.4 25.0 21.8 40.4 30.2 47.8

3 ................................ 25.9 19.6 *30.6 11.5 23.7 20.7 26.0 39.0 *30.8 *47.3

4 ................................ 26.8 20.5 19.8 21.4 21.2 19.6 23.0 47.8 *37.1 *55.1

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.8 12.8 13.4 11.7 12.0 11.7 *12.5 *42.0 * *

Education

0–8 years ........................... 30.7 26.8 31.4 22.1 29.3 28.8 29.8 41.4 36.5 45.1

9–12 years .......................... 23.7 17.4 14.9 19.5 22.6 16.6 26.8 41.1 *11.2 55.9

13 or more years ...................... 20.1 18.1 10.4 15.6 16.6 17.0 16.2 41.1 *39.9 41.6

Marital status

Married ............................ 25.8 18.5 18.7 18.2 23.9 22.9 25.4 40.8 33.4 50.4

Not married .......................... 26.8 23.4 27.2 21.6 24.3 17.6 26.5 42.0 25.8 46.8

Previously married ..................... 26.5 21.8 *23.5 21.4 25.8 20.8 27.0 42.3 24.5 47.3

Family size and type

1 person ............................ 26.7 24.1 *22.7 24.9 25.6 18.5 28.3 39.9 23.5 44.7

Alone ............................. 27.0 23.8 *23.5 23.9 26.7 18.7 29.9 40.1 26.0 44.0

2 persons ........................... 24.7 18.1 16.4 19.7 21.4 21.0 21.8 40.6 29.9 51.9

Spouse ............................ 24.2 17.4 14.9 19.8 21.8 21.7 21.9 39.3 31.4 49.2

3 or more persons ..................... 29.2 19.5 24.0 14.7 29.9 26.8 33.8 48.4 *47.7 48.9

Doctor visits in past year

None .............................. 13.1 10.2 *7.7 *13.5 9.7 10.9 8.4 20.2 *6.4 *34.3

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.5 10.8 12.9 8.9 16.3 12.8 19.7 27.9 22.5 32.2

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.3 21.5 19.9 22.6 19.7 17.4 21.7 37.9 31.0 42.0

7–12 .............................. 38.1 31.8 *37.8 *25.4 39.7 41.2 38.7 50.4 *46.8 52.2

13 or more .......................... 42.5 54.9 * *49.9 49.4 *49.3 *49.5 67.6 *50.3 *75.2

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

33
Table 15. Inability to stand for about 2 hours among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20,075 9,427 10,649 14,925 6,517 8,408 9,326 3,411 5,915

Percent

Total .............................. 10.3 5.6 5.5 5.7 9.5 8.9 10.0 21.7 17.3 24.2

Income in quintiles

1 (low) ............................. 18.1 16.5 14.9 17.4 16.2 18.9 15.2 24.9 20.2 26.5

2 ................................ 13.5 10.4 13.9 8.4 12.0 14.4 10.2 21.2 20.7 21.6

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.9 6.9 9.2 5.4 7.7 6.6 8.7 18.4 13.6 22.2

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.9 3.5 3.8 3.2 6.1 4.8 7.4 19.4 13.2 23.8

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.4 2.2 1.8 2.7 6.7 5.9 7.6 23.6 17.9 27.5

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.8 11.0 10.4 11.4 13.7 12.8 14.4 24.8 20.4 27.9

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.3 5.2 5.7 4.9 8.7 8.4 8.9 19.3 14.3 21.8

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.4 3.5 2.9 4.2 5.4 3.4 7.4 18.3 14.4 20.4

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.8 4.9 5.3 4.6 8.2 8.2 8.2 17.7 16.8 19.2

Not married .......................... 12.4 8.1 *7.5 *8.3 11.7 11.3 11.8 24.5 *19.6 25.6

Previously married ..................... 12.5 7.7 8.2 7.6 12.1 11.2 12.3 24.9 20.0 25.9

Family size and type

1 person ............................ 10.8 7.7 3.0 9.8 11.1 11.5 11.0 20.3 15.4 21.4

Alone ............................. 10.4 7.5 2.0 9.8 10.9 11.0 10.8 19.7 15.1 20.8

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.4 5.2 5.9 4.6 8.4 7.8 9.1 19.1 16.7 21.9

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.7 4.9 5.5 4.4 8.1 7.8 8.4 17.0 16.2 18.3

3 or more persons ..................... 13.7 5.4 5.6 5.3 11.3 11.2 11.3 35.3 23.3 42.1

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.3 2.7 2.5 3.0 4.4 4.6 4.1 12.0 8.1 14.6

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.1 1.8 2.2 1.5 4.2 3.3 4.8 13.5 13.0 13.8

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.7 3.5 3.6 3.4 6.9 7.7 6.4 17.9 14.9 19.6

7–12 .............................. 12.0 7.8 9.2 6.7 11.0 9.8 11.8 22.6 17.0 26.0

13 or more .......................... 22.1 15.4 15.8 15.2 20.9 19.8 21.6 38.5 34.1 40.7

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

34
Table 16. Inability to stand for long periods of time among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

Canada, 1985

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2,311 1,109 1,202 1,573 722 851 900 334 556

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.7 4.2 3.6 4.6 6.7 4.8 8.3 17.5 12.7 20.4

Income in quintiles

1 (low) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.2 4.7 *4.1 5.0 9.0 9.5 8.9 19.7 16.9 20.8

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.7 8.8 * 8.3 5.4 4.7 6.0 13.5 12.8 14.0

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.3 2.5 *4.3 1.1 6.6 2.9 9.5 16.6 *9.0 *24.3

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.8 2.8 2.1 3.7 8.4 5.5 11.5 20.6 *13.1 *25.7

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.0 4.3 3.6 5.7 3.3 1.0 *3.8 *21.8 * *

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.6 5.3 5.4 5.2 9.6 6.9 12.2 18.2 16.8 19.3

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.2 4.0 3.1 4.8 5.0 3.4 6.1 18.6 *5.6 25.1

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.8 2.2 0.4 3.9 3.5 3.1 3.9 12.8 *5.4 16.3

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.1 4.0 3.1 5.0 6.9 5.0 9.5 16.2 12.9 20.4

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.0 4.8 7.3 3.5 6.3 3.9 7.1 18.5 12.4 20.4

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.2 4.7 *8.3 3.8 6.3 4.6 6.7 18.3 12.6 19.8

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.1 6.8 *9.8 5.1 4.4 3.2 4.9 17.3 11.2 19.1

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.6 7.8 *12.1 5.5 4.4 2.9 5.0 16.4 12.7 17.4

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.4 3.7 1.3 5.9 5.5 3.3 7.9 16.1 12.2 20.6

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.2 4.0 1.3 6.5 5.4 3.3 7.9 15.0 12.4 18.3

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.2 3.8 5.1 2.3 13.3 10.1 17.2 22.6 *17.8 25.5

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4 1.7 *0.0 *3.9 0.7 1.2 0.3 8.2 *0.3 *16.3

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.0 0.8 0.6 1.0 4.7 2.4 6.8 9.2 8.1 10.1

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.9 4.7 3.1 5.8 4.1 3.4 4.7 16.3 9.4 20.3

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.8 2.0 *1.2 *2.9 8.8 9.4 8.5 18.1 *23.8 15.1

13 or more .......................... 18.6 25.9 * *17.8 23.5 *16.2 *28.8 31.7 *24.0 *35.0

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

35
Table 17. Difficulty using fingers to grasp among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20,075 9,427 10,649 14,925 6,517 8,408 9,326 3,411 5,915

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.2 7.5 5.5 9.3 9.2 7.7 10.4 12.6 10.3 14.0

Income in quintiles

1 (low) ............................. 16.5 20.7 16.2 23.3 13.9 12.4 14.4 14.2 11.3 15.2

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.2 11.2 11.7 10.9 10.9 10.9 10.9 11.4 12.5 10.7

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.6 10.2 10.0 10.3 7.4 6.3 8.4 11.6 11.4 11.7

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.0 6.3 4.1 8.3 6.7 5.5 7.9 12.8 5.5 17.9

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.0 2.7 1.6 3.9 8.1 6.5 10.0 13.1 7.9 16.8

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 11.7 9.9 13.3 11.9 10.8 12.8 14.1 11.0 16.2

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.6 7.7 5.6 9.1 8.7 6.7 10.1 11.4 9.0 12.5

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.1 4.9 3.2 6.9 6.8 5.7 7.9 11.5 10.2 12.2

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.5 6.7 5.2 8.4 8.6 7.5 10.0 10.8 10.1 11.9

Not married .......................... 10.5 10.6 *7.4 *11.7 10.4 8.8 10.8 14.0 *10.9 14.7

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.1 11.4 8.1 12.3 10.9 9.1 11.3 14.5 11.9 15.1

Family size and type

1 person ............................ 10.6 11.2 7.5 12.8 10.4 8.7 10.9 12.6 10.4 13.1

Alone ............................. 10.3 11.1 7.2 12.8 10.1 8.6 10.5 12.3 9.9 12.9

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.8 7.7 5.3 9.8 8.6 7.4 9.8 10.5 9.0 12.3

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.5 7.4 5.3 9.6 8.5 7.3 9.8 9.8 9.3 10.5

3 or more persons ..................... 10.1 5.5 5.3 5.8 9.7 8.4 11.2 19.9 16.7 21.8

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.3 4.1 2.4 6.1 5.2 4.1 6.3 7.1 5.3 8.4

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.9 2.7 1.9 3.4 6.0 5.0 6.7 7.9 7.0 8.4

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.3 5.1 5.1 5.2 7.7 5.9 9.0 11.3 10.5 11.8

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.0 10.8 8.8 12.3 10.2 8.7 11.4 12.8 9.4 14.9

13 or more .......................... 18.2 17.8 14.5 20.1 17.7 15.8 19.0 20.6 19.5 21.1

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

36
Table 18. Difficulty using fingers to grasp or handle among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

Canada, 1985

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2,311 1,109 1,202 1,573 722 851 900 334 556

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.1 6.7 7.0 6.4 11.2 6.9 14.9 19.8 16.2 22.1

Income in quintiles

1 (low) ............................. 15.0 11.7 *18.7 9.0 15.1 12.1 16.3 19.0 17.8 19.5

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.0 14.2 * 11.1 10.9 7.8 13.9 21.4 18.3 23.6

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.7 7.1 *7.7 6.6 11.3 8.0 13.9 19.7 *11.8 *27.8

4 ................................ 10.7 4.3 4.5 4.0 12.8 3.3 23.1 18.8 *19.3 *18.5

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 3.2 3.8 2.1 3.0 3.5 *2.1 *18.6 * *

Education

0–8 years ........................... 13.1 7.5 7.2 7.7 14.9 9.8 19.6 21.3 18.8 23.2

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.4 6.0 6.9 5.2 9.5 4.0 13.5 17.1 *8.7 21.2

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.1 6.4 6.5 6.4 6.1 4.9 7.3 19.6 *16.9 20.9

Marital status

Married ............................ 10.7 6.0 6.6 5.4 10.5 6.5 16.0 18.6 17.0 20.6

Not married .......................... 12.1 9.1 9.4 9.0 12.4 8.3 13.7 20.9 14.6 22.8

Previously married ..................... 10.5 7.7 *2.4 9.1 13.0 7.7 14.3 20.2 13.4 22.1

Family size and type

1 person ............................ 12.2 9.6 *8.6 10.2 11.8 9.7 12.6 20.1 16.6 21.1

Alone ............................. 12.6 11.0 *10.6 11.2 11.3 9.2 12.1 19.3 17.1 20.0

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.6 7.5 7.4 7.6 9.7 5.1 14.7 20.9 17.3 24.8

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.1 7.3 6.9 7.7 9.5 5.3 14.7 19.6 18.8 20.6

3 or more persons ..................... 10.4 4.2 6.0 2.2 14.6 9.7 20.6 15.6 *11.1 18.4

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.0 3.4 *4.3 *2.1 7.7 8.2 7.1 9.3 *8.1 *10.5

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.3 3.5 4.6 2.5 7.8 4.6 10.9 18.7 18.4 18.9

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.4 5.3 4.5 5.9 10.4 7.4 13.0 16.5 10.7 19.8

7–12 .............................. 13.9 10.2 *10.5 *9.9 15.4 11.3 18.1 20.1 *17.3 21.5

13 or more .......................... 19.1 27.1 * *24.6 20.2 *3.8 *32.3 30.5 *27.7 *31.8

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

37
Table 19. Inability to use fingers to grasp among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20,075 9,427 10,649 14,925 6,517 8,408 9,326 3,411 5,915

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.8 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.8 0.9 0.8 1.4 1.2 1.5

Income in quintiles

1 (low) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.0 0.8 1.5 0.4 1.0 1.4 0.8 1.4 0.7 1.6

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.3 1.0 1.5 0.8 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.8 2.6 1.3

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.7 0.7 1.0 0.5 0.5 0.8 0.3 0.9 1.2 0.6

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.5 0.2 * 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.8 1.8 0.3 2.8

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.7 * 1.1

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.3 1.1 1.5 0.8 1.4 1.8 1.0 1.4 1.1 1.6

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.7 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.7 0.5 0.9 1.4 1.6 1.3

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.3 1.1 0.4 1.4

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.7 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.7 0.8 0.7 1.3 1.4 1.1

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.9 0.6 *0.4 *0.7 1.0 1.4 0.9 1.4 *0.6 1.6

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.8 0.4 0.6 0.3 1.0 1.2 1.0 1.5 0.7 1.7

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.8 0.6 0.5 0.7 0.9 0.7 1.0 1.2 0.9 1.3

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.7 1.0 0.8 1.0 1.1 0.9 1.1

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.7 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.6 1.5 1.4 1.5

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.7 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.6 0.6 0.7 1.4 1.5 1.2

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.0 0.4 0.4 0.3 1.5 2.0 0.9 1.6 0.5 2.2

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.4 0.2 * 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.8 1.0 0.6

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.3 * * * 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.5

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.4 0.1 0.2 * 0.4 0.3 0.4 1.0 1.6 0.7

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.9 0.9 1.4 0.4 0.8 1.3 0.5 1.0 1.0 1.1

13 or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4 1.7 1.0 2.2 2.6 2.4 2.8 3.5 2.0 4.3

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

38
Table 20. Inability to use fingers to grasp or handle among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

Canada, 1985

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2,311 1,109 1,202 1,573 722 851 900 334 556

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.6 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.6 0.4 0.7 1.3 0.9 1.6

Income in quintiles

1 (low) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.6 0.0 *0.0 0.0 1.4 1.4 1.4 0.4 1.0 0.1

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.3 0.8 * 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 1.3 1.3 1.3

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.6 0.5 *1.3 0.0 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.2 *0.3 *0.0

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.5 0.3 0.0 0.7 0.6 0.3 1.0 0.4 *1.1 *0.0

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 *0.0 *9.5 * *

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.9 0.6 1.1 0.0 0.7 0.9 0.6 2.0 1.4 2.5

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.6 0.2 0.9 0.7 *0.3 0.9

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.2 0.3 0.0 0.5 0.2 0.0 0.4 0.0 *0.0 0.0

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.4 0.3 0.5 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.7 1.0 0.3

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.8 0.3 0.0 0.4 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.8 0.8 2.1

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.4 0.0 *0.0 0.0 1.1 0.2 1.3 0.7 0.9 0.6

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.9 0.4 *0.0 0.6 0.8 1.2 0.6 2.5 1.1 2.9

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.7 0.4 *0.0 0.6 0.9 1.3 0.7 0.8 1.2 0.6

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.1 0.5 0.2 1.0 0.6 0.8 0.4

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.6 0.9 0.3

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.0 0.4 0.7 0.0 0.5 *1.4 0.0

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.6 1.3 *2.2 *0.0 0.2 0.4 0.0 0.1 *0.0 *0.3

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.0 1.1 0.6 0.5 0.7

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 0.7 0.1 2.6 1.0 3.5

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.6 0.4 *0.0 *0.9 1.1 1.1 1.1 0.1 *0.0 0.1

13 or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.9 0.4 * *0.6 0.9 *0.2 *1.5 2.1 *3.6 *1.4

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

39
Table 21. Difficulty reaching up over head among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20,075 9,427 10,649 14,925 6,517 8,408 9,326 3,411 5,915

Percent

Total .............................. 13.3 10.6 9.8 11.4 13.5 11.8 14.8 18.8 14.0 21.7

Income in quintiles

1 (low) ............................. 23.8 27.3 28.4 26.7 21.2 17.2 22.7 22.7 15.3 25.1

2 ................................ 17.3 17.3 17.8 17.0 16.9 16.8 17.0 17.7 17.1 18.1

3 ................................ 12.2 10.9 10.9 10.8 11.3 11.5 11.1 16.4 13.1 18.9

4 ................................ 10.8 9.1 9.1 9.1 9.0 9.7 8.3 16.9 10.6 21.2

5 (high) ............................ 10.1 5.2 4.9 5.5 9.9 6.4 13.9 19.0 10.9 24.7

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6 17.9 15.7 19.9 19.3 17.8 20.6 21.4 15.7 25.3

9–12 years .......................... 12.9 10.9 10.7 11.0 13.0 11.2 14.1 17.9 13.7 19.9

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.4 6.1 5.5 6.9 7.4 5.6 9.2 14.2 9.3 16.9

Marital status

Married ............................ 12.2 9.8 9.8 9.8 12.3 11.3 13.6 15.8 14.4 18.0

Not married .......................... 14.6 13.4 *9.3 *14.8 15.6 13.1 16.3 21.1 *12.9 23.0

Previously married ..................... 15.4 14.1 9.9 15.2 16.7 16.2 16.8 21.4 12.5 23.3

Family size and type

1 person ............................ 14.3 13.3 9.1 15.2 15.9 12.9 16.7 18.8 11.5 20.5

Alone ............................. 14.2 13.6 9.5 15.3 15.8 12.5 16.7 18.3 11.4 19.8

2 persons ........................... 12.4 10.1 9.5 10.6 12.4 11.4 13.5 16.0 13.7 18.7

Spouse ............................ 12.0 9.7 9.5 9.9 12.3 11.3 13.4 15.3 14.4 16.8

3 or more persons ..................... 15.3 10.4 10.3 10.5 13.3 12.5 14.3 28.9 19.4 34.4

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.9 4.7 3.8 5.8 7.1 6.7 7.4 10.9 8.2 12.8

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.5 5.1 5.1 5.2 6.5 6.9 6.2 14.1 8.5 17.3

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.2 7.8 8.0 7.7 10.2 9.4 10.8 15.5 15.7 15.4

7–12 .............................. 16.7 14.8 17.8 12.5 17.1 14.0 19.5 19.6 13.3 23.3

13 or more .......................... 26.3 25.4 20.5 28.7 25.0 22.4 26.9 31.8 25.4 35.1

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

40
Table 22. Difficulty reaching above head among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics: Canada, 1985

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2,311 1,109 1,202 1,573 722 851 900 334 556

Percent

Total .............................. 13.0 8.4 8.9 8.0 13.1 9.1 16.4 22.1 14.1 27.1

Income in quintiles

1 (low) ............................. 14.3 9.7 *9.2 9.9 16.6 14.7 17.5 21.7 16.4 23.8

2 ................................ 13.2 16.4 * 12.7 11.8 9.4 14.2 27.9 18.0 35.0

3 ................................ 13.0 8.2 *11.5 5.8 14.0 11.6 15.8 18.3 *7.7 *29.0

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.6 7.6 8.3 6.6 14.0 8.6 19.8 15.1 *13.3 *16.3

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.7 5.6 5.6 5.8 6.7 1.7 *15.2 *18.9 * *

Education

0–8 years ........................... 16.6 12.5 17.1 7.9 17.3 12.0 22.3 23.2 16.7 28.1

9–12 years .......................... 12.2 8.4 7.1 9.6 11.3 6.8 14.5 22.7 *9.8 29.0

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.1 3.6 0.8 6.1 8.0 6.5 9.4 18.2 *10.3 21.8

Marital status

Married ............................ 13.6 8.5 9.3 7.5 13.0 10.1 16.8 21.8 15.8 29.8

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.7 8.4 6.4 9.4 13.2 5.1 16.0 22.4 10.7 25.9

Previously married ..................... 12.1 9.5 *6.5 10.2 14.9 6.2 16.9 21.9 10.5 25.1

Family size and type

1 person ............................ 12.2 9.7 *6.9 11.3 13.0 6.4 15.5 21.2 11.4 24.1

Alone ............................. 12.7 11.0 *8.5 12.4 12.8 6.5 15.4 20.9 12.8 23.2

2 persons ........................... 12.4 7.1 5.1 9.0 10.6 7.9 13.6 23.6 16.4 31.2

Spouse ............................ 12.6 7.2 5.0 9.3 10.6 8.2 13.6 23.5 17.3 31.3

3 or more persons ..................... 15.9 9.9 15.0 4.4 20.5 14.7 27.4 20.1 *8.6 27.3

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.5 2.4 *4.1 *0.0 7.3 7.4 7.3 8.9 *3.9 *14.1

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.8 5.2 4.4 6.0 7.9 5.0 10.5 16.9 12.3 20.5

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.6 6.5 5.6 7.1 10.4 4.7 15.2 19.8 13.0 23.7

7–12 .............................. 18.3 16.9 *19.0 *14.8 19.5 18.1 20.5 19.8 *15.2 22.1

13 or more .......................... 24.3 30.4 * *23.2 30.9 *22.4 *37.2 41.4 *25.3 *48.5

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

41
Table 23. Inability to reach up over head among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20,075 9,427 10,649 14,925 6,517 8,408 9,326 3,411 5,915

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.8 1.8 1.5 2.1 2.4 2.0 2.7 5.6 4.0 6.6

Income in quintiles

1 (low) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2 4.9 5.8 4.4 4.8 4.9 4.8 6.5 2.6 7.8

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.8 3.6 2.7 4.1 2.7 2.8 2.7 6.1 6.4 5.9

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6 2.4 2.6 2.2 1.7 1.3 2.1 4.1 3.5 4.6

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 1.3 1.1 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.7 5.2 2.3 7.2

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 0.4 0.5 0.4 1.8 1.3 2.3 5.7 3.9 7.0

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6 4.0 3.6 4.4 3.5 3.1 3.8 6.7 4.5 8.3

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 1.6 1.5 1.7 2.3 1.6 2.7 4.9 4.5 5.1

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.7 0.9 0.6 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.3 4.2 1.7 5.5

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 1.6 1.6 1.7 2.0 1.8 2.3 4.8 4.2 5.7

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2 2.5 *1.2 *2.9 3.2 2.9 3.3 6.4 *3.5 7.0

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4 2.7 1.3 3.1 3.4 3.2 3.4 6.7 3.1 7.4

Family size and type

1 person ............................

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6 2.0 0.6 2.7 3.3 1.8 3.6 5.0 2.2 5.6

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4 1.5 1.3 1.7 2.0 1.8 2.3 4.7 4.2 5.4

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 1.4 1.2 1.5 2.0 1.8 2.2 4.4 4.4 4.4

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.7 1.9 1.8 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.0 10.1 6.6 12.1

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 1.1 0.8 1.6 0.7 0.5 0.9 2.8 2.2 3.2

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1 0.3 0.5 0.2 1.0 0.6 1.3 2.8 2.2 3.2

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.7 0.9 1.0 0.9 1.6 2.0 1.3 3.7 3.5 3.8

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.0 1.8 1.9 1.7 2.8 2.2 3.2 6.2 4.9 6.9

13 or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.8 4.8 4.1 5.3 6.3 4.9 7.3 12.1 7.6 14.4

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

42
Table 24. Inability to reach above head among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics: Canada, 1985

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2,311 1,109 1,202 1,573 722 851 900 334 556

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 1.3 1.9 0.8 2.6 2.3 2.9 4.7 3.8 5.2

Income in quintiles

1 (low) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.7 1.3 *0.0 1.8 5.1 5.2 5.0 1.8 1.2 2.1

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0 3.0 * 0.8 1.6 1.3 1.8 5.7 5.7 5.7

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4 0.3 *0.2 0.3 1.8 2.1 1.5 6.9 *3.8 *10.0

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 0.4 0.0 1.0 3.8 3.4 4.4 2.0 *4.7 *0.2

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.8 2.0 3.1 0.0 0.5 0.8 *0.0 *12.6 * *

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.7 2.6 4.3 0.8 3.8 2.7 4.9 5.7 5.7 5.7

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.9 0.6 0.3 0.9 2.3 2.1 2.4 4.1 *0.9 5.6

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.9 0.3 0.0 0.5 0.9 2.0 0.0 2.4 *0.0 3.5

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6 1.0 1.7 0.3 2.9 2.6 3.2 5.1 5.1 5.1

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 2.3 2.7 2.1 2.2 0.9 2.6 4.4 1.1 5.3

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.7 2.3 *3.5 2.0 2.8 1.6 3.1 3.5 1.1 4.2

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6 2.4 *1.9 2.7 1.9 1.1 2.2 5.2 1.4 6.4

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4 2.7 *2.4 2.9 1.4 1.1 1.5 3.8 1.4 4.5

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0 0.4 0.4 0.4 2.1 2.0 2.3 4.8 5.2 4.4

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0 0.3 0.1 0.5 2.0 2.0 2.0 6.5 6.0 5.0

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3 2.2 3.9 0.2 5.1 4.2 6.1 2.7 *1.8 3.3

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.0 0.0 *0.0 *0.0 1.0 0.5 1.5 2.6 *0.6 *4.7

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.8 0.2 0.4 0.0 1.3 0.4 2.1 1.1 0.8 1.3

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 0.4 0.0 0.7 2.0 2.5 1.6 5.6 4.3 6.3

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.9 1.4 *1.2 *1.7 2.3 5.0 0.5 5.8 *8.6 4.3

13 or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.4 11.9 * *4.2 10.9 *6.8 *14.0 7.6 *5.8 *8.4

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

43
Table 25. Difficulty lifting or carrying 10 pounds among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20,075 9,427 10,649 14,925 6,517 8,408 9,326 3,411 5,915

Percent

Total .............................. 10.6 6.6 4.8 8.2 9.4 6.2 11.9 20.9 11.7 26.3

Income in quintiles

1 (low) ............................. 19.7 22.6 19.3 24.5 16.9 10.4 19.2 23.6 10.4 27.9

2 ................................ 13.6 12.1 14.7 10.7 10.6 7.6 12.7 20.6 16.2 23.4

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.4 6.9 6.0 7.5 7.7 6.0 9.3 16.8 9.5 22.4

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.8 3.8 2.2 5.5 6.2 4.7 7.6 22.1 8.4 31.6

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.5 2.7 1.5 4.2 7.1 4.8 9.7 21.2 12.2 27.4

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.7 13.7 11.2 15.9 12.7 8.6 16.4 22.5 12.2 29.5

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.6 5.8 4.2 7.1 9.1 5.6 11.3 19.8 10.5 24.4

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.4 4.2 2.5 6.2 7.2 7.6 6.9 23.0 41.7 12.9

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.9 5.3 4.3 6.3 7.9 6.4 9.9 14.9 11.2 21.0

Not married .......................... 12.9 11.4 *7.8 *12.7 12.2 5.1 14.2 25.2 *13.2 28.0

Previously married ..................... 13.5 11.8 9.7 12.3 13.1 5.9 14.8 25.4 13.7 27.9

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.6 11.4 6.7 13.5 11.6 3.6 13.9 20.7 8.6 23.5

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.6 11.5 7.5 13.3 11.7 3.1 14.1 20.2 8.4 22.9

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.8 6.3 4.9 7.5 8.1 6.2 10.1 17.2 11.3 24.1

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.7 5.6 4.5 6.7 7.8 6.1 9.7 14.0 10.8 19.3

3 or more persons ..................... 13.4 5.0 4.1 6.1 10.6 8.4 13.3 34.7 18.7 43.9

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.7 2.9 2.0 3.9 3.4 2.2 4.8 14.6 7.4 18.8

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.5 5.3 4.7 5.7 7.5 5.3 9.0 17.0 9.7 21.4

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.4 5.1 4.6 5.6 7.3 5.4 8.7 17.1 9.8 21.3

7–12 .............................. 12.1 8.2 6.7 9.4 11.0 7.6 13.6 22.4 11.9 28.6

13 or more .......................... 21.9 16.6 14.0 18.4 20.5 14.4 24.9 37.1 24.3 43.6

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

44
Table 26. Difficulty carrying a 12 pound bag of groceries about 30 feet among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected

characteristics: Canada, 1985.

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2,311 1,109 1,202 1,573 722 851 900 334 556

Percent

Total .............................. 22.4 13.0 8.7 17.0 21.2 13.7 27.6 41.8 23.2 53.3

Income in quintiles

1 (low) ............................. 27.5 17.8 *21.0 16.5 31.4 27.4 33.0 41.0 18.8 49.8

2 ................................ 22.8 22.8 * 24.4 20.4 16.1 24.7 43.8 29.0 54.4

3 ................................ 21.1 13.3 *10.1 15.7 19.8 12.8 25.3 36.2 *26.5 *45.9

4 ................................ 22.0 13.1 7.3 20.6 17.6 6.7 29.6 40.1 *15.8 *56.5

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.3 6.9 5.8 8.8 12.5 7.5 *21.1 *51.8 * *

Education

0–8 years ........................... 27.6 18.6 14.6 22.5 26.5 18.7 33.9 43.7 25.1 57.6

9–12 years .......................... 21.5 12.6 6.2 17.9 21.2 11.4 28.3 44.1 *22.1 55.0

13 or more years ...................... 12.3 7.1 3.2 10.6 11.1 8.0 14.0 30.7 *15.6 37.7

Marital status

Married ............................ 21.8 11.4 7.9 15.2 19.3 12.9 27.9 36.5 24.3 52.6

Not married .......................... 25.1 19.5 13.7 22.4 24.6 16.6 27.3 46.1 21.0 53.6

Previously married ..................... 25.5 21.3 *12.6 23.6 25.7 19.4 27.2 45.9 20.3 53.2

Family size and type

1 person ............................ 25.0 20.8 *8.0 28.3 23.6 17.1 26.0 45.1 22.1 51.9

Alone ............................. 26.0 23.3 *8.8 31.0 23.7 16.5 26.6 45.4 25.1 51.1

2 persons ........................... 21.7 12.2 7.6 16.4 19.3 11.6 27.5 37.8 22.6 54.0

Spouse ............................ 21.8 12.1 7.1 17.0 18.7 11.7 27.3 37.2 24.6 52.9

3 or more persons ..................... 23.5 11.0 10.4 11.7 23.3 16.9 31.1 45.5 *27.9 56.5

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.3 2.4 *1.2 *4.1 8.6 4.6 12.9 14.4 *1.9 *27.3

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.0 6.8 5.0 8.5 14.5 10.4 18.2 29.2 14.4 41.1

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.2 11.4 5.4 15.9 18.6 12.4 23.7 36.3 22.5 44.2

7–12 .............................. 33.8 25.5 *16.6 *34.8 32.8 23.4 39.1 50.0 *33.9 58.4

13 or more .......................... 42.2 47.4 * *47.3 44.3 *27.6 *56.7 75.1 *47.7 *87.2

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

45
Table 27. Inability to lift or carry 10 pounds among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20,075 9,427 10,649 14,925 6,517 8,408 9,326 3,411 5,915

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.9 2.3 1.8 2.7 4.1 2.8 5.2 12.0 6.5 15.1

Income in quintiles

1 (low) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.6 7.1 5.8 7.9 7.1 3.4 8.4 13.0 3.6 16.1

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.6 5.3 7.2 4.2 5.1 4.3 5.6 11.2 10.1 12.0

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.8 1.7 1.6 1.8 2.9 2.2 3.5 9.0 4.5 12.6

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6 1.3 0.4 2.2 2.6 1.8 3.3 13.9 5.0 20.1

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.8 1.1 1.0 1.3 3.7 2.6 4.8 14.0 9.6 17.1

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.4 5.0 3.4 6.4 6.3 4.2 8.2 13.3 7.7 17.2

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3 1.9 1.7 2.0 3.7 2.5 4.5 10.9 5.2 13.8

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.6 1.7 1.3 2.2 2.1 1.4 2.8 9.9 5.6 12.3

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.5 2.0 1.7 2.5 3.6 2.8 4.4 9.2 6.6 13.6

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.7 3.5 *3.3 *3.6 5.2 2.5 6.0 13.9 *6.9 15.5

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.9 3.6 4.0 3.6 5.5 2.7 6.1 14.3 7.5 15.7

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.4 3.4 1.5 4.2 4.5 1.2 5.5 10.4 3.2 12.0

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.2 3.1 1.7 3.8 4.4 0.8 5.4 9.9 3.1 11.5

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.7 2.4 1.9 2.9 3.6 2.8 4.4 9.9 6.2 14.3

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3 2.3 1.8 2.8 3.4 2.7 4.2 8.1 6.0 11.8

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.9 1.7 1.9 1.4 5.6 3.9 7.7 24.6 13.9 30.7

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 1.0 1.1 1.0 1.0 0.9 1.2 6.0 2.5 8.4

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 0.7 0.5 0.8 1.7 1.2 2.2 7.6 5.1 9.1

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2 1.1 1.1 1.2 2.7 2.0 3.2 8.5 4.7 10.7

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.4 3.0 3.1 2.9 4.0 2.4 5.3 12.7 7.5 15.8

13 or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.5 7.3 5.3 8.7 10.4 7.2 12.7 23.4 12.8 28.7

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

46
Table 28. Inability to carry a 12-pound bag of groceries about 30 feet among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected

characteristics: Canada, 1985

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2,311 1,109 1,202 1,573 722 851 900 334 556

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.5 3.8 3.2 4.4 8.1 5.2 10.6 23.4 11.4 30.7

Income in quintiles

1 (low) ............................. 10.1 5.6 *7.1 5.0 10.8 5.7 12.9 21.1 8.7 26.1

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.7 5.7 * 6.3 9.6 9.8 9.4 23.0 15.1 28.7

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.6 2.2 *3.8 0.9 6.5 2.8 9.4 22.1 *8.8 *35.6

4 ................................ 10.0 2.1 0.0 4.7 9.1 4.3 14.3 25.3 *12.3 *34.2

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 4.8 4.5 5.3 2.2 1.3 *3.8 34.2 * *

Education

0–8 years ........................... 10.0 4.8 4.8 4.8 11.1 7.8 14.3 23.3 *15.2 29.4

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.5 3.0 1.2 4.5 6.8 3.9 8.9 25.4 *5.1 35.4

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.1 3.1 2.2 3.9 4.1 2.2 5.8 21.3 5.2 28.8

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.3 3.3 2.5 4.2 7.5 5.3 10.6 19.6 10.6 31.5

Not married .......................... 10.4 5.6 7.3 4.8 9.1 4.4 10.7 26.4 13.1 30.4

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.6 5.2 *4.4 5.3 8.8 3.0 10.2 26.7 11.6 31.0

Family size and type

1 person ............................ 10.0 6.4 *5.6 6.8 8.0 4.2 9.4 25.4 11.1 29.6

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.9 7.3 *6.8 7.5 7.0 3.0 8.5 23.8 12.6 26.9

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.4 3.6 2.2 5.0 7.6 4.8 10.6 20.8 10.1 32.1

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.8 3.9 2.3 5.5 7.6 4.7 11.1 20.4 10.7 32.6

3 or more persons ..................... 10.4 3.0 3.9 2.0 9.8 6.9 13.4 26.1 *17.7 31.3

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 0.3 *0.0 *0.7 1.1 0.4 1.8 6.7 *1.1 *12.3

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.3 0.7 0.2 1.2 6.6 4.2 8.9 11.7 3.5 18.3

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.4 2.3 1.4 3.0 6.1 5.2 6.7 20.8 13.1 25.2

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.8 5.7 *4.2 *7.3 11.1 9.6 12.1 26.4 *17.2 31.2

13 or more .......................... 20.8 24.0 * *17.9 20.7 *8.2 *29.9 47.8 *22.2 *59.1

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

47
Table 29. Inability to read newsprint among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20,075 9,427 10,649 14,925 6,517 8,408 9,326 3,411 5,915

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6 2.7 2.8 2.6 3.7 3.5 3.8 10.4 8.9 11.3

Income in quintiles

1 (low) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.3 8.6 6.5 9.8 5.3 3.8 5.8 13.8 14.4 13.6

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.4 3.6 4.8 2.9 5.0 6.0 4.3 9.6 8.9 10.0

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4 2.0 3.4 1.1 2.4 2.1 2.7 7.6 6.8 8.3

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.8 1.6 1.3 1.9 2.7 2.6 2.7 10.2 7.5 12.0

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.9 2.1 2.4 1.7 3.2 3.6 2.7 9.0 6.2 11.0

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1 5.4 6.5 4.4 5.2 5.0 5.4 12.7 11.4 13.6

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.0 2.2 1.8 2.4 3.4 3.2 3.5 9.1 6.6 10.3

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3 2.2 2.5 1.9 2.6 2.8 2.4 7.0 6.3 7.4

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.9 2.0 2.3 1.8 3.3 3.2 3.4 8.9 8.6 9.3

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.3 4.8 *6.4 *4.2 4.3 4.8 4.2 11.8 *10.0 12.2

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.1 4.2 5.8 3.8 4.4 4.7 4.4 12.2 9.9 12.7

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.7 4.8 6.0 4.2 3.9 4.9 3.6 10.0 8.0 10.5

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.6 4.8 5.5 4.5 3.7 4.3 3.6 9.9 8.1 10.4

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3 2.5 2.6 2.4 3.3 3.1 3.6 9.2 8.6 10.0

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.8 2.3 2.4 2.2 3.2 3.0 3.3 8.3 8.4 8.1

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.8 2.2 2.2 2.1 4.5 4.2 4.8 15.9 11.8 18.2

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4 2.4 2.2 2.7 3.1 3.3 2.9 6.2 6.8 5.8

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.7 2.3 3.5 1.3 2.5 1.8 3.1 8.5 4.8 10.6

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.8 2.1 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.6 1.9 10.3 9.9 10.5

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.9 2.4 3.0 2.0 4.2 3.8 4.5 11.1 9.9 11.8

13 or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.6 4.7 4.3 5.0 6.6 6.9 6.5 15.6 12.4 17.2

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

48
Table 30. Inability to see to read a newspaper among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

Canada, 1985

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2,311 1,109 1,202 1,573 722 851 900 334 556

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0 0.5 0.6 0.5 1.9 0.9 2.7 5.1 5.5 4.8

Income in quintiles

1 (low) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 1.0 *3.5 0.0 1.4 1.3 1.4 6.0 6.3 5.9

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8 1.2 * 0.5 2.6 1.7 3.5 3.6 5.0 2.6

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 0.4 *0.0 0.8 2.4 0.7 3.7 5.5 *6.2 *4.8

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.9 0.4 0.0 0.9 1.4 0.0 2.9 5.4 *4.9 *5.8

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.0 0.7 0.6 *1.1 *5.7 * *

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6 0.8 1.3 0.3 2.8 1.6 3.9 6.3 6.5 6.1

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6 0.4 0.0 0.7 1.7 0.3 2.7 4.4 *4.4 4.3

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.7 0.4 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.4 2.0 *2.2 2.0

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 2.1 1.0 3.6 6.5 6.0 7.2

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.9 1.2 2.0 0.8 1.4 0.4 1.8 3.9 4.5 3.7

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 0.5 *0.6 0.5 1.2 0.5 1.4 3.9 3.4 4.1

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 1.1 *2.0 0.6 0.7 0.1 1.0 2.8 2.7 2.8

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 1.2 *2.4 0.6 0.8 0.1 1.1 2.8 2.8 2.8

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 2.4 0.8 4.1 6.2 5.7 6.6

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6 0.4 0.3 0.6 2.4 0.9 4.4 6.3 5.3 7.6

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 0.4 0.5 0.3 1.8 1.7 1.9 8.1 *9.2 7.4

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 1.1 *1.3 *0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 4.3 *3.6 *5.0

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8 0.2 0.0 0.4 3.0 1.1 4.8 2.8 2.8 2.8

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.9 0.5 1.0 0.1 1.9 1.3 2.5 4.9 3.3 5.8

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.9 1.0 *1.0 *0.9 1.7 1.1 2.0 4.4 *5.4 3.9

13 or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.7 0.6 * *1.0 1.1 *0.4 *1.6 9.3 *15.2 *6.7

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

49
Table 31. Difficulty doing heavy housework among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20,075 9,427 10,649 14,925 6,517 8,408 9,326 3,411 5,915

Percent

Total .............................. 18.2 12.5 7.5 16.9 17.8 10.9 23.1 31.4 18.0 39.1

Income in quintiles

1 (low) ............................. 30.1 33.1 27.2 36.4 27.9 18.2 31.4 35.5 20.5 40.4

2 ................................ 23.3 22.5 17.0 25.6 21.2 15.9 24.8 30.5 21.3 36.6

3 ................................ 17.0 12.1 6.9 15.6 15.6 9.9 20.6 28.9 16.4 38.8

4 ................................ 15.7 10.3 6.5 13.9 12.5 7.4 17.4 30.1 12.8 42.3

5 (high) ............................ 13.8 5.8 3.1 9.1 12.8 6.9 19.4 29.1 17.0 37.4

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.7 23.4 14.1 32.0 24.1 15.4 31.8 32.0 20.0 40.1

9–12 years .......................... 17.3 11.9 7.5 15.1 17.1 10.6 21.3 31.3 15.6 39.2

13 or more years ...................... 13.9 7.7 4.6 11.5 11.4 5.8 16.9 29.2 16.5 36.0

Marital status

Married ............................ 16.5 10.7 6.9 14.8 15.0 10.0 21.3 23.5 16.0 35.8

Not married .......................... 21.9 19.4 *11.9 *22.1 22.6 14.2 25.1 37.2 *23.9 40.3

Previously married ..................... 22.2 19.3 12.4 21.2 24.1 15.7 26.1 37.5 24.4 40.3

Family size and type

1 person ............................ 20.4 18.0 10.3 21.5 21.6 14.0 23.8 33.5 21.3 36.3

Alone ............................. 20.2 18.1 10.9 21.2 21.3 13.2 23.6 32.9 20.0 35.9

2 persons ........................... 17.6 12.2 7.2 16.6 16.2 9.8 22.8 26.1 16.1 37.9

Spouse ............................ 16.3 11.2 6.8 15.5 15.2 9.6 21.6 22.1 15.3 33.6

3 or more persons ..................... 20.1 10.6 7.3 14.4 17.0 12.6 22.3 42.8 22.3 54.5

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.7 4.8 2.2 7.6 6.7 4.4 8.8 18.5 9.2 25.0

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.4 3.7 2.4 4.9 7.7 3.6 10.8 19.6 7.5 26.5

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.2 9.6 3.8 14.7 12.9 7.5 16.9 26.5 15.6 32.9

7–12 .............................. 22.0 16.0 12.5 18.8 22.7 14.6 28.8 34.2 22.3 41.2

13 or more .......................... 38.8 36.2 26.8 42.6 37.1 24.0 46.5 50.9 33.4 59.8

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

50
Table 32. Difficulty doing heavy housework among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

Canada, 1985

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2,311 1,109 1,202 1,573 722 851 900 334 556

Percent

Total .............................. 22.1 10.3 12.4 8.3 22.5 21.6 23.3 46.7 43.4 48.8

Income in quintiles

1 (low) ............................. 23.7 16.7 *28.5 12.0 19.4 29.1 15.3 35.9 38.2 35.0

2 ................................ 21.5 14.9 * 14.4 26.4 28.4 24.4 43.8 40.4 46.3

3 ................................ 23.1 9.1 *15.9 4.1 21.7 19.4 23.5 54.1 *54.2 *54.1

4 ................................ 22.3 6.3 6.8 5.7 17.1 13.9 20.6 63.6 *50.1 *72.8

5 (high) ............................ 15.9 9.7 11.3 6.9 28.5 16.0 *49.8 *62.7 * *

Education

0–8 years ........................... 25.8 15.1 20.4 9.7 25.8 25.5 26.2 49.2 48.2 49.9

9–12 years .......................... 18.5 6.4 5.4 7.3 20.0 26.6 18.1 39.7 *31.6 43.7

13 or more years ...................... 21.9 9.3 10.1 8.5 20.4 13.9 26.4 51.2 *41.3 55.8

Marital status

Married ............................ 23.5 10.6 12.8 8.2 22.9 22.2 23.9 51.7 50.4 53.4

Not married .......................... 19.8 9.2 10.1 8.7 21.8 19.2 22.6 42.7 28.9 46.8

Previously married ..................... 17.7 6.2 *6.8 6.1 19.1 19.7 18.9 42.1 28.0 46.1

Family size and type

1 person ............................ 15.7 8.0 *5.6 9.5 16.6 17.1 16.4 32.6 26.1 34.5

Alone ............................. 13.3 6.3 *6.9 6.0 12.4 15.5 11.2 28.9 25.7 29.8

2 persons ........................... 23.2 10.2 10.8 9.6 21.3 20.6 22.2 52.2 46.6 58.2

Spouse ............................ 23.2 10.2 11.1 9.5 21.1 21.0 21.3 53.1 50.1 56.8

3 or more persons ..................... 31.4 11.3 16.7 5.5 34.3 27.9 42.0 68.6 *57.7 75.4

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.9 2.0 *3.4 *0.0 8.0 7.0 9.0 19.1 *11.9 *26.5

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.7 4.9 6.9 3.0 17.1 14.3 19.8 40.5 36.4 43.8

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.2 9.1 8.8 9.2 21.1 22.1 20.5 47.2 47.5 47.1

7–12 .............................. 32.1 20.9 *30.8 *10.5 36.3 37.8 35.3 51.0 *56.6 48.4

13 or more .......................... 34.6 38.8 * *33.4 38.8 *43.0 *35.8 64.7 *57.2 *68.0

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

51
Table 33. Inability to do heavy housework among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20,075 9,427 10,649 14,925 6,517 8,408 9,326 3,411 5,915

Percent

Total .............................. 10.8 6.2 4.2 8.0 10.2 7.0 12.6 21.8 12.7 27.1

Income in quintiles

1 (low) ............................. 17.7 19.2 15.9 21.1 14.8 9.8 16.6 24.0 13.7 27.4

2 ................................ 13.4 11.2 9.8 11.9 11.9 10.8 12.6 21.0 14.7 25.1

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.9 6.2 3.6 7.9 9.0 6.4 11.4 18.8 11.0 25.0

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.5 4.2 3.0 5.4 7.4 4.6 10.1 22.9 10.3 31.7

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.3 2.9 2.0 3.9 8.5 5.1 12.3 22.6 13.4 29.0

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.5 14.0 9.1 18.7 14.1 9.9 17.8 23.7 14.6 29.8

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.8 5.5 4.0 6.5 9.6 6.9 11.3 20.6 10.9 25.4

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.9 3.3 2.2 4.8 6.4 3.4 9.4 19.1 10.5 23.8

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.5 5.3 3.8 7.0 8.8 6.8 11.2 15.5 11.2 22.4

Not married .......................... 12.9 9.6 *6.7 *10.6 12.6 7.4 14.1 26.5 *17.2 28.6

Previously married ..................... 12.7 8.9 6.4 9.6 13.4 7.8 14.7 26.5 17.0 28.5

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.4 9.2 5.8 10.7 11.5 6.8 12.8 21.8 13.3 23.8

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.1 9.2 5.9 10.8 11.0 6.0 12.4 21.1 12.0 23.1

2 persons ........................... 10.1 5.7 3.7 7.4 9.1 6.7 11.6 17.9 11.1 26.0

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.0 5.1 3.3 6.8 8.6 6.7 10.9 14.2 10.4 20.8

3 or more persons ..................... 14.6 5.9 4.6 7.5 11.9 8.3 16.4 35.5 19.8 44.4

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6 2.0 1.3 2.9 3.0 2.0 4.0 11.9 5.9 16.1

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.8 1.7 1.2 2.2 4.0 3.1 4.8 12.6 4.5 17.3

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.1 3.6 1.7 5.2 6.3 4.2 7.9 16.1 9.6 19.9

7–12 .............................. 12.8 8.4 7.7 9.0 12.0 8.4 14.7 23.6 15.2 28.5

13 or more .......................... 25.4 20.1 16.1 22.9 24.3 17.8 29.0 40.1 27.4 46.6

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

52
Table 34. Inability to do heavy housework among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

Canada, 1985

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2,311 1,109 1,202 1,573 722 851 900 334 556

Percent

Total .............................. 15.5 7.1 8.8 5.3 15.0 14.5 15.4 34.5 29.7 37.5

Income in quintiles

1 (low) ............................. 17.6 9.6 *20.0 5.5 15.7 25.5 11.6 28.5 31.2 27.4

2 ................................ 15.5 12.0 * 10.7 16.9 19.4 14.4 34.5 30.8 37.1

3 ................................ 16.6 6.3 *14.0 0.7 13.9 12.3 15.1 40.6 *36.2 *45.0

4 ................................ 14.5 3.0 1.2 5.2 13.4 7.5 19.9 37.8 *26.8 *45.3

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.0 7.9 8.9 6.1 13.8 8.2 *23.2 *42.7 * *

Education

0–8 years ........................... 18.9 11.2 15.0 7.4 18.3 17.9 18.6 36.5 34.0 38.4

9–12 years .......................... 13.5 4.8 4.2 5.2 13.1 13.4 12.8 33.6 *20.6 40.1

13 or more years ...................... 12.4 4.9 6.0 3.9 11.5 10.2 12.7 30.4 *25.1 32.9

Marital status

Married ............................ 16.3 7.4 8.7 6.0 15.3 14.2 16.8 35.8 33.5 38.7

Not married .......................... 14.4 5.7 9.1 3.9 14.3 15.6 13.9 33.5 21.7 36.9

Previously married ..................... 13.7 4.8 *6.8 4.3 13.6 15.6 13.2 32.9 20.5 36.4

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.0 4.0 *4.4 3.7 9.9 13.7 8.5 27.8 19.6 30.3

Alone ............................. 10.4 4.5 *5.4 4.1 8.8 13.0 7.1 24.6 20.4 25.7

2 persons ........................... 16.4 7.4 7.7 7.0 15.3 14.1 16.6 36.1 31.8 40.7

Spouse ............................ 16.7 7.4 7.8 7.1 15.5 14.3 16.9 37.0 34.3 40.5

3 or more persons ..................... 21.0 7.9 11.6 3.9 21.0 16.2 26.8 48.0 *36.9 54.9

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.9 2.0 *3.4 *0.0 5.5 4.3 6.7 13.4 *5.8 *21.2

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.0 1.9 2.3 1.5 10.2 7.9 12.3 26.6 23.3 29.3

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.9 4.4 4.1 4.6 12.8 13.0 12.6 31.5 31.4 31.6

7–12 .............................. 23.8 17.1 *27.4 *6.3 24.0 27.3 21.8 39.6 *38.6 40.1

13 or more .......................... 29.4 33.9 * *27.7 32.4 *36.5 *29.4 57.2 *46.7 *61.8

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

53
Table 35. Difficulty doing light housework among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20,075 9,427 10,649 14,925 6,517 8,408 9,326 3,411 5,915

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.8 2.4 1.9 2.8 4.1 3.2 4.8 11.1 7.1 13.4

Income in quintiles

1 (low) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.2 8.8 9.3 8.5 6.2 5.4 6.5 10.7 6.4 12.1

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.5 3.4 3.1 3.6 5.1 4.4 5.7 10.7 9.6 11.4

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1 2.5 2.3 2.6 2.9 2.8 3.1 9.1 6.1 11.5

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.5 1.9 1.5 2.1 2.6 1.7 3.5 12.4 4.3 18.0

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2 0.9 0.6 1.3 4.1 3.4 4.9 15.2 8.2 20.2

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6 6.1 5.9 6.3 5.5 4.1 6.8 12.6 7.6 15.9

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.0 1.9 1.4 2.2 3.7 3.0 4.1 9.2 6.3 10.7

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.9 1.5 0.9 2.3 2.9 2.1 3.8 10.0 6.7 11.9

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1 2.1 1.7 2.5 3.7 3.0 4.6 8.0 7.1 9.6

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.8 3.8 *3.9 *3.7 4.7 4.1 4.9 13.2 *7.3 14.6

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.7 3.2 4.0 3.0 4.9 4.3 5.0 13.5 8.1 14.7

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6 3.9 3.1 4.3 3.7 2.1 4.1 9.4 5.3 10.4

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3 3.9 3.5 4.1 3.4 1.5 3.9 8.8 4.6 9.7

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.4 2.3 1.7 2.8 3.9 3.2 4.6 8.9 6.7 11.6

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.9 2.2 1.4 2.9 3.7 3.0 4.4 7.3 6.5 8.6

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.1 2.0 2.0 1.9 5.8 4.3 7.6 24.3 12.0 31.3

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 1.0 0.6 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.5 5.9 3.2 7.8

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0 0.6 0.2 0.8 1.2 0.8 1.4 6.7 3.4 8.6

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.0 1.0 1.1 0.9 2.6 2.4 2.7 8.0 6.6 8.9

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.0 2.9 3.2 2.8 4.2 3.9 4.5 10.4 7.5 12.1

13 or more .......................... 12.2 8.9 9.0 8.9 10.6 8.1 12.5 22.3 15.2 25.9

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

54
Table 36. Difficulty doing light housework among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

Canada, 1985

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2,311 1,109 1,202 1,573 722 851 900 334 556

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.6 1.6 1.4 1.8 2.9 3.1 2.7 9.0 9.8 8.5

Income in quintiles

1 (low) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 2.4 *2.1 2.5 3.5 5.8 2.6 3.6 3.4 3.7

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.6 3.8 * 3.2 3.0 3.7 2.3 9.4 15.4 5.1

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.8 1.8 *4.4 0.0 1.6 0.8 2.3 10.1 *6.4 *14.0

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.8 0.9 0.0 2.1 3.5 1.6 5.5 19.0 *16.5 *20.8

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1 0.7 0.4 1.3 3.0 4.7 *0.0 *12.0 * *

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.0 1.7 1.4 2.1 5.1 4.6 5.6 11.9 14.5 10.0

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4 1.2 1.5 1.0 1.3 1.8 0.9 7.0 *2.7 9.1

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6 1.5 0.6 2.4 1.4 2.2 0.5 2.4 *0.8 3.1

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4 1.8 1.4 2.2 2.9 3.4 2.2 8.4 9.7 6.7

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3 0.8 1.4 0.6 2.8 1.9 3.1 9.6 10.1 9.4

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5 0.8 *3.1 0.2 2.9 2.9 3.0 8.6 8.3 8.7

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 1.2 *1.7 0.9 0.7 0.3 0.8 6.4 6.5 6.3

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8 1.3 *2.1 0.9 0.2 0.3 0.1 4.8 6.8 4.3

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.0 1.5 1.6 1.4 1.6 2.1 1.2 8.7 8.6 8.7

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.7 1.6 1.7 1.5 1.6 2.1 1.0 7.7 8.9 6.1

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.0 1.9 1.0 2.9 9.6 8.0 11.4 17.8 *20.8 16.0

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2 0.8 *1.4 *0.0 0.3 0.2 0.3 3.4 *1.1 *5.8

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 0.5 1.0 0.0 1.3 1.7 0.8 7.6 7.9 7.3

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4 1.3 0.5 1.8 2.8 3.9 1.8 9.3 12.7 7.4

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 1.6 *0.0 *3.3 2.5 6.3 0.0 6.5 *10.8 4.3

13 or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.7 9.6 * *9.7 11.9 *5.2 *16.8 16.5 *13.3 *18.0

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

55
Table 37. Inability to do light housework among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics: United

States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20,075 9,427 10,649 14,925 6,517 8,408 9,326 3,411 5,915

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6 0.8 0.9 0.8 2.2 2.1 2.2 7.3 5.5 8.3

Income in quintiles

1 (low) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.6 3.0 4.3 2.2 2.7 3.3 2.5 5.9 4.7 6.3

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.8 1.2 1.0 1.3 2.6 2.6 2.5 6.8 7.3 6.5

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 0.7 1.0 0.4 1.8 2.3 1.3 6.5 4.6 7.9

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.8 0.7 0.7 0.6 1.6 0.9 2.2 8.8 4.3 12.0

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.6 0.4 0.3 0.4 2.5 2.3 2.6 11.9 6.2 15.8

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.6 2.5 2.7 2.2 3.1 2.8 3.4 7.9 6.0 9.3

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0 0.5 0.6 0.4 1.6 1.9 1.5 6.1 4.7 6.7

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 0.6 0.4 0.9 2.0 1.5 2.6 6.9 5.0 7.9

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 0.7 0.9 0.5 2.1 2.0 2.3 5.7 5.5 6.1

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.0 1.4 *0.8 *1.6 2.3 2.6 2.2 8.3 *5.6 8.9

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.9 1.2 0.6 1.3 2.2 2.5 2.2 8.5 6.1 9.0

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8 1.2 * 1.7 1.5 1.4 1.5 4.8 3.2 5.2

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 0.9 * 1.3 1.1 0.8 1.2 3.9 2.4 4.3

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 0.6 0.7 0.6 2.1 2.1 2.1 6.6 5.5 7.9

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0 0.6 0.6 0.5 2.0 2.0 2.0 5.1 5.2 4.8

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.6 1.0 1.4 0.6 3.8 2.8 5.0 18.2 9.7 23.1

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 0.6 0.3 0.8 0.7 0.9 0.5 4.1 2.9 4.9

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.9 0.8 1.0 4.6 2.1 6.0

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.7 0.5 0.7 0.4 1.0 1.2 0.9 5.3 4.0 6.1

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4 0.6 0.9 0.4 2.1 2.5 1.7 6.6 5.9 7.1

13 or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.4 2.9 4.0 2.2 6.0 5.3 6.4 14.3 13.1 14.9

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

56
Table 38. Inability to do light housework among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics: Canada, 1985

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2,311 1,109 1,202 1,573 722 851 900 334 556

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 0.3 0.5 0.1 2.4 2.5 2.2 6.3 6.9 5.9

Income in quintiles

1 (low) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8 0.0 *0.0 0.0 3.4 5.2 2.6 2.4 3.0 2.1

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6 1.3 * 0.0 1.9 2.8 1.1 5.2 8.8 2.6

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.7 0.4 *0.9 0.0 1.3 0.7 1.8 8.9 *5.9 *11.9

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.2 0.2 0.0 0.5 3.5 1.6 5.5 13.2 *12.7 *13.4

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.0 3.2 *0.0 *10.9 * *

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 0.2 0.3 0.0 4.1 3.3 4.8 7.9 10.0 6.3

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6 0.2 0.5 0.0 1.0 1.6 0.5 5.5 *2.3 7.1

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.9 0.2 0.0 0.3 1.4 2.2 0.5 2.1 *0.2 3.0

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 0.2 0.4 0.0 2.7 3.0 2.2 6.3 6.2 6.5

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 0.5 0.8 0.4 1.8 0.4 2.2 6.3 8.2 5.7

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 0.4 *1.8 0.0 2.3 0.7 2.6 5.2 8.0 4.5

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 0.7 *1.0 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.4 4.8 6.2 4.4

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2 0.8 *1.2 0.6 0.1 0.1 0.1 3.2 6.4 2.2

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.7 0.2 0.3 0.0 1.5 1.8 1.2 5.3 5.2 5.5

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8 0.2 0.3 0.0 1.5 1.9 1.0 5.9 5.9 5.8

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.6 0.3 0.5 0.0 7.7 6.2 9.5 13.5 *15.5 12.2

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.8 0.0 *0.0 *0.0 0.2 0.0 0.3 3.1 *1.1 *5.0

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.3 1.7 0.8 5.2 5.3 5.1

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 0.2 0.5 0.0 1.3 2.5 0.4 7.2 9.2 6.0

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 0.4 *0.0 *0.9 2.5 6.2 0.0 4.4 *7.0 3.1

13 or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.8 2.2 * *0.0 11.2 *3.5 *16.8 9.9 *8.3 *10.7

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

57
Table 39. Difficulty preparing meals among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20,075 9,427 10,649 14,925 6,517 8,408 9,326 3,411 5,915

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6 2.0 1.1 2.8 3.8 2.8 4.5 11.5 7.4 13.9

Income in quintiles

1 (low) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.2 7.3 4.9 8.7 5.4 4.2 5.8 11.6 8.0 12.8

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.9 2.8 1.5 3.5 4.6 4.1 4.9 10.4 9.5 11.0

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3 2.2 2.0 2.3 3.2 2.8 3.5 9.9 5.7 13.3

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1 1.4 0.7 2.1 2.5 1.1 3.8 11.8 4.8 16.6

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.4 0.8 0.4 1.3 3.6 2.7 4.7 17.0 9.0 22.5

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.6 4.0 2.4 5.5 5.1 3.8 6.3 13.4 8.6 16.8

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.8 2.0 1.2 2.6 3.3 2.5 3.7 8.9 4.9 10.9

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.7 0.8 0.3 1.5 2.9 1.7 4.2 10.5 8.3 11.7

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1 1.7 0.9 2.5 3.2 2.3 4.4 8.8 6.9 12.0

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.8 3.4 *3.4 *3.4 4.8 5.2 4.7 13.5 *9.2 14.5

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.7 2.7 3.2 2.6 5.0 5.3 4.9 13.9 9.7 14.8

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1 3.2 1.0 4.1 3.6 3.4 3.7 8.6 5.9 9.2

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.7 3.1 1.1 3.9 3.1 2.6 3.3 7.8 5.2 8.4

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.2 2.1 1.2 2.9 3.4 2.5 4.4 7.1 0.7 14.8

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.0 1.9 0.9 2.9 3.2 2.3 4.3 8.0 6.3 10.9

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.9 1.3 1.0 1.7 5.4 3.5 7.6 25.4 13.7 32.1

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 0.9 0.3 1.5 1.0 1.1 0.9 6.4 4.0 8.1

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 0.8 0.9 0.6 1.7 1.0 2.3 6.4 2.9 8.4

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.7 0.7 0.6 0.8 1.8 1.7 1.8 8.3 5.5 10.0

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.1 2.2 1.8 2.6 4.4 4.2 4.6 12.4 9.0 14.3

13 or more .......................... 10.4 6.7 3.5 8.9 9.0 6.0 11.2 21.6 16.0 24.4

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

58
Table 40. Difficulty preparing meals on a regular basis among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

Canada, 1985

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2,311 1,109 1,202 1,573 722 851 900 334 556

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.8 3.5 5.2 1.9 7.7 12.2 3.9 17.6 24.3 13.4

Income in quintiles

1 (low) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.0 2.6 *2.1 2.8 5.9 13.9 2.6 20.5 19.1 6.6

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.2 5.1 * 4.0 8.4 12.3 4.6 27.9 22.6 6.2

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.7 3.9 *9.2 0.0 6.5 10.0 3.7 40.2 *23.3 *21.1

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.5 2.5 3.5 1.2 11.4 15.0 7.5 35.9 *36.5 *30.4

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 3.8 4.8 2.1 6.8 10.8 *0.0 *36.2 * *

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.8 5.4 8.9 1.8 10.3 13.9 6.9 20.2 26.6 15.3

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.1 1.9 3.2 0.9 5.2 9.1 2.5 15.6 *21.2 12.9

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.3 3.1 2.6 3.5 7.1 14.0 0.7 12.1 *19.4 8.8

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.5 4.2 5.8 2.5 9.1 13.1 3.7 22.7 30.3 12.8

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2 0.7 1.4 0.4 5.1 8.7 4.0 13.3 12.1 13.7

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6 0.4 *1.8 0.0 4.0 6.0 3.6 12.5 12.0 12.6

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.8 1.0 *1.8 0.6 2.1 5.8 0.7 5.8 7.1 5.5

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.9 0.8 *1.2 0.6 1.4 4.0 0.3 3.7 5.0 3.3

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.8 3.4 4.6 2.4 7.9 12.3 3.2 19.6 23.2 15.7

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.7 3.7 4.8 2.6 8.2 12.6 2.9 19.4 24.4 13.1

3 or more persons ..................... 16.0 4.7 7.2 2.0 14.9 16.5 13.0 44.0 *57.0 35.6

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1 1.1 *1.8 *0.0 4.3 7.6 0.9 10.1 *5.0 *15.4

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6 1.6 2.8 0.4 4.8 8.4 1.5 12.3 18.9 6.9

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.0 4.6 7.5 2.4 8.1 13.4 3.7 19.7 31.0 13.1

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.8 8.3 *11.7 *4.8 7.4 17.1 0.9 16.4 *21.8 13.6

13 or more .......................... 13.1 7.7 * *6.5 18.1 *17.1 *18.9 24.9 *37.2 *19.5

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

59
Table 41. Inability to prepare meals among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20,075 9,427 10,649 14,925 6,517 8,408 9,326 3,411 5,915

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 0.7 0.6 0.8 1.7 1.7 1.7 6.7 5.2 7.5

Income in quintiles

1 (low) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.8 2.2 2.8 1.8 1.8 2.1 1.7 5.7 4.6 6.1

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4 1.2 1.5 1.1 2.0 2.3 1.7 5.7 6.8 5.0

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 0.7 1.0 0.4 1.4 2.1 0.8 5.8 3.9 7.4

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 0.5 0.2 0.8 1.1 0.6 1.6 7.9 4.0 10.6

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5 0.3 0.1 0.4 2.6 1.9 3.3 11.4 6.9 14.5

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.5 1.8 1.8 1.8 2.4 2.1 2.6 7.8 6.2 8.9

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.7 0.5 0.6 0.4 1.4 1.8 1.2 5.0 3.8 5.5

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8 0.4 * 0.9 1.2 0.9 1.4 5.4 4.3 6.1

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0 0.6 0.5 0.6 1.6 1.6 1.7 5.2 4.9 5.9

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.7 1.2 *1.2 *1.1 1.9 2.6 1.7 7.6 *6.1 7.9

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6 0.7 1.3 0.6 1.8 2.3 1.7 7.7 6.5 8.0

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 0.7 * 1.0 1.0 1.4 0.9 3.8 2.6 4.1

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.0 0.4 * 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.7 3.0 1.8 3.3

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 0.6 0.5 0.6 1.7 1.7 1.7 6.2 4.8 7.8

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8 0.5 0.4 0.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 4.6 4.5 4.8

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.3 0.9 0.8 1.0 3.0 2.1 4.2 18.0 11.8 21.6

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 0.6 0.3 1.0 0.6 0.9 0.3 4.1 2.5 5.2

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.3 0.3 0.4 0.2 1.1 0.8 1.3 3.8 2.1 4.8

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.8 0.9 0.8 4.8 3.5 5.6

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 0.6 0.9 0.4 1.4 1.9 1.1 6.7 6.4 6.9

13 or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.0 1.9 1.5 2.2 4.5 4.5 4.6 12.7 12.0 13.0

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

60
Table 42. Inability to prepare meals on a regular basis among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

Canada, 1985

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2,311 1,109 1,202 1,573 722 851 900 334 556

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3 1.1 1.2 1.0 3.7 4.7 3.0 7.5 9.0 6.6

Income in quintiles

1 (low) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3 1.8 *0.0 2.5 4.1 7.8 2.6 4.9 7.3 3.9

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4 3.0 * 2.7 5.1 6.2 4.1 5.2 8.6 2.8

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 0.4 *0.9 0.0 2.0 2.1 1.8 6.6 *6.2 *7.0

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.9 0.2 0.0 0.5 3.8 2.3 5.5 16.0 *14.5 *17.0

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2 1.3 2.0 0.0 3.5 5.5 *0.0 *16.7 * *

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2 1.9 2.2 1.5 6.6 7.2 6.1 10.4 10.5 10.3

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.7 0.2 0.5 0.0 1.8 2.3 1.4 4.7 *8.6 2.8

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 1.0 0.0 1.9 1.4 3.3 0.0 2.3 *2.2 2.3

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5 1.3 1.4 1.3 4.0 4.9 2.9 8.8 11.0 5.9

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 0.3 0.0 0.4 3.2 3.6 3.0 6.4 4.8 6.9

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 0.0 *0.0 0.0 2.9 3.6 2.8 5.8 5.7 5.9

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2 0.4 *0.0 0.6 1.1 3.8 0.1 2.7 1.4 3.1

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.7 0.4 *0.0 0.6 0.7 2.2 0.1 0.8 1.0 0.8

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.0 0.7 0.3 1.0 3.0 4.0 1.8 8.5 9.6 7.4

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.8 0.7 0.3 1.1 3.1 4.2 1.8 7.9 10.1 5.2

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.1 2.1 2.7 1.5 9.7 7.0 12.9 17.7 *19.1 16.8

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 0.0 *0.0 *0.0 0.7 0.6 0.9 5.0 *3.6 *6.5

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.1 2.8 1.4 4.4 5.8 3.3

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4 0.9 0.0 1.6 3.7 5.7 2.1 8.7 11.1 7.3

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3 4.1 *6.4 *1.8 3.2 7.9 0.0 6.1 *8.7 4.7

13 or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.9 4.9 * *4.4 13.5 *9.0 *16.8 10.8 *11.8 *10.4

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

61
Table 43. Difficulty shopping for personal items among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20,075 9,427 10,649 14,925 6,517 8,408 9,326 3,411 5,915

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.4 3.3 2.7 3.8 6.1 4.4 7.3 18.4 11.8 22.2

Income in quintiles

1 (low) ............................. 12.9 12.2 12.2 12.2 10.2 6.9 11.4 21.4 13.1 24.0

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.9 6.4 6.4 6.3 7.2 6.4 7.8 17.1 14.6 18.7

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.3 3.3 3.2 3.3 4.7 3.8 5.5 14.5 7.7 19.8

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.0 1.9 1.5 2.3 3.6 2.8 4.5 17.8 9.8 23.4

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.3 1.1 0.8 1.4 5.6 3.8 7.6 22.0 14.7 27.1

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.1 8.2 7.4 9.0 8.7 6.4 10.7 21.1 13.2 26.4

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.4 2.6 2.1 3.0 5.5 3.8 6.6 16.5 10.5 19.6

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2 1.9 1.4 2.6 4.0 2.8 5.1 14.1 9.7 16.4

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.1 2.5 2.3 2.7 5.1 4.1 6.4 13.3 10.9 17.2

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.4 6.2 *5.5 *6.5 7.8 5.8 8.3 22.1 *14.4 23.8

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.7 6.0 5.8 6.1 8.2 7.1 8.5 22.3 15.2 23.8

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.5 5.5 2.6 6.8 6.8 4.4 7.4 16.8 10.4 18.3

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.1 5.5 2.9 6.6 6.2 3.5 7.0 16.0 9.5 17.5

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.9 2.9 2.3 3.4 5.1 3.9 6.4 15.9 10.8 22.0

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.8 2.4 2.0 2.9 4.8 3.8 6.0 7.0 10.2 1.6

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.1 2.6 2.8 2.5 8.7 6.8 10.9 32.5 19.8 39.6

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.8 1.4 1.0 1.7 2.1 1.9 2.3 11.4 6.1 15.1

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.6 1.4 1.7 1.1 2.3 1.4 2.9 10.5 4.4 13.9

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.0 1.3 1.1 1.5 3.9 3.3 4.4 14.5 11.3 16.3

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.9 3.4 3.5 3.4 6.6 5.9 7.1 19.4 14.5 22.2

13 or more .......................... 16.2 10.8 10.0 11.4 14.1 9.7 17.2 32.2 20.6 38.1

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

62
Table 44. Difficulty shopping for groceries among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

Canada, 1985

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2,311 1,109 1,202 1,573 722 851 900 334 556

Percent

Total .............................. 13.5 5.0 3.7 6.3 12.1 9.1 14.6 33.6 23.1 40.0

Income in quintiles

1 (low) ............................. 13.6 7.4 *8.1 7.1 13.5 16.8 12.1 27.0 15.0 31.8

2 ................................ 14.2 10.6 * 11.4 11.7 13.0 10.4 35.0 28.1 40.5

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.9 8.3 *2.5 3.9 12.1 5.0 17.5 28.7 *22.6 *34.9

4 ................................ 15.5 4.2 1.9 7.1 12.0 7.0 17.5 42.1 *24.2 *54.2

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.2 3.6 4.1 2.9 10.5 4.4 *20.8 *51.0 * *

Education

0–8 years ........................... 16.7 7.2 6.2 8.1 16.3 11.8 20.4 36.0 26.5 43.2

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.8 3.7 1.3 5.6 10.8 8.0 12.8 32.0 *14.5 40.6

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.8 4.3 3.2 5.4 6.8 6.0 7.5 26.5 *23.1 28.1

Marital status

Married ............................ 14.8 5.3 3.7 7.1 12.9 9.3 17.8 33.2 27.1 41.1

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.6 3.9 3.7 4.0 10.7 8.5 11.4 33.9 15.0 39.5

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.1 3.6 *0.7 4.4 11.2 8.2 11.9 33.8 15.8 39.0

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.5 2.9 *1.1 3.9 5.3 9.1 3.9 27.3 14.1 31.2

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.2 3.3 *1.3 4.3 4.5 7.7 3.3 26.3 15.5 29.4

2 persons ........................... 14.4 5.7 2.9 8.2 12.0 8.4 15.9 32.8 22.4 43.9

Spouse ............................ 14.0 5.8 3.1 8.5 11.3 8.6 14.7 31.7 25.0 40.1

3 or more persons ..................... 21.8 5.0 5.6 4.4 21.7 11.3 34.3 53.6 *41.5 61.1

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.5 1.4 *1.4 *1.3 5.1 4.8 5.8 16.1 *3.8 *28.7

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.5 2.1 0.9 3.3 9.3 6.3 12.2 19.2 12.8 24.3

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.5 2.5 0.4 4.1 8.6 8.5 8.6 35.9 34.0 37.1

7–12 .............................. 18.8 14.0 *15.7 *12.2 18.3 16.0 19.8 31.1 *15.4 39.2

13 or more .......................... 27.9 21.3 * *26.3 28.7 *17.3 *37.1 58.3 *41.2 *65.9

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

63
Table 45. Inability to shop for personal items among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20,075 9,427 10,649 14,925 6,517 8,408 9,326 3,411 5,915

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.5 1.5 1.3 1.8 3.4 3.3 3.6 12.7 8.7 14.9

Income in quintiles

1 (low) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.6 6.6 9.3 5.0 4.5 4.7 4.5 14.1 10.4 15.3

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.3 2.9 2.4 3.2 4.6 5.2 4.2 11.8 11.5 12.0

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.6 1.0 1.3 0.9 2.8 2.7 2.8 9.8 5.6 13.1

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1 0.8 0.5 1.2 2.2 1.8 2.6 13.3 6.0 18.4

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.8 0.6 0.3 1.0 3.3 2.8 3.8 15.5 10.0 19.4

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.2 4.3 4.1 4.5 4.8 4.7 4.8 14.8 10.3 17.9

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.8 1.1 1.1 1.2 3.0 2.9 3.1 11.0 7.4 12.8

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 0.7 0.1 1.4 2.6 1.8 3.3 9.0 5.8 10.8

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.8 1.1 1.1 1.2 3.3 3.2 3.4 9.3 7.9 11.5

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.4 3.0 *2.6 *3.1 3.6 3.5 3.6 15.0 *10.6 16.0

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.5 2.8 2.6 2.9 3.7 4.3 3.6 15.1 10.9 16.0

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.9 2.3 1.1 2.8 2.9 2.1 3.1 10.6 7.0 11.4

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5 2.1 1.2 2.5 2.4 1.5 2.6 9.9 6.1 10.7

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1 1.2 1.2 1.3 3.2 3.0 3.4 10.7 7.9 14.0

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4 1.0 1.0 1.0 3.1 2.9 3.4 8.3 7.4 9.8

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.3 1.7 1.5 2.1 5.6 5.1 6.2 26.5 15.9 32.5

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6 0.7 0.5 1.0 1.5 1.7 1.2 8.4 5.4 10.5

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 0.8 0.4 1.1 1.3 1.0 1.6 6.8 3.8 8.5

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.9 0.8 1.0 0.5 1.9 1.6 2.1 9.2 6.8 10.6

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.5 1.5 0.9 2.0 3.7 4.2 3.3 12.5 9.6 14.2

13 or more .......................... 10.1 5.2 6.0 4.6 8.3 7.4 8.9 23.7 18.2 26.5

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

64
Table 46. Inability to shop for groceries among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics: Canada, 1985

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2,311 1,109 1,202 1,573 722 851 900 334 556

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.0 1.6 0.9 2.3 5.5 4.1 6.7 20.5 16.2 23.2

Income in quintiles

1 (low) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.2 3.4 *1.6 4.2 6.4 10.2 4.9 16.7 12.5 18.3

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.1 2.6 * 3.2 5.8 4.4 7.1 20.6 19.1 21.7

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.5 0.8 *0.9 0.7 4.5 2.3 6.1 20.4 *14.0 *27.0

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.4 1.8 0.3 3.7 8.0 2.6 13.8 25.6 *19.4 *29.9

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.9 0.8 1.3 0.0 2.0 2.6 *1.1 *28.4 * *

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.3 1.7 0.2 3.1 9.0 6.4 11.5 20.9 19.8 21.7

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.0 0.8 0.5 1.0 3.5 2.4 4.4 22.1 *6.2 30.0

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.5 2.5 2.1 3.0 2.2 2.3 2.2 16.8 *17.2 16.6

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.9 1.6 0.5 2.8 5.2 4.0 6.9 23.0 18.5 28.6

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.5 1.8 3.7 0.9 6.0 4.4 6.5 18.5 11.4 20.6

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.8 0.6 *0.7 0.6 6.0 3.7 6.6 18.9 11.6 21.0

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6 1.3 *1.1 1.4 2.7 4.9 1.8 11.9 10.0 16.6

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1 1.4 *1.3 1.5 1.7 3.7 0.9 13.6 10.8 14.4

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.6 1.9 1.5 2.2 5.1 3.0 7.3 10.4 15.3 28.2

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.7 2.0 1.6 2.4 4.7 3.1 6.6 22.0 16.9 28.5

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.5 1.4 0.0 2.9 10.7 6.6 15.6 20.7 *30.5 33.6

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4 0.0 *0.0 *0.0 3.1 2.0 4.3 9.2 *3.3 *15.3

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4 0.4 0.0 0.8 4.0 2.8 5.1 8.6 8.1 8.9

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.9 1.8 0.4 2.7 3.8 3.9 3.8 23.1 26.1 21.3

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.0 4.2 *4.1 *4.3 4.9 7.3 3.3 16.3 *7.4 20.9

13 or more .......................... 15.9 6.3 * *8.3 17.9 *7.3 *25.7 39.2 *25.8 *45.1

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

65
Table 47. Difficulty managing money among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics:

United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20,075 9,517 10,649 14,925 6,517 8,408 9,326 3,411 5,915

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 0.9 0.8 1.0 2.1 2.7 1.7 9.2 7.1 10.4

Income in quintiles

1 (low) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.8 2.5 3.7 1.8 2.4 2.8 2.3 8.7 6.8 9.3

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4 1.2 2.0 1.6 2.5 4.1 1.4 8.2 8.0 8.4

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.8 0.8 1.0 0.7 2.0 2.8 1.3 8.2 5.9 10.1

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.8 0.7 0.5 0.9 1.6 1.4 1.7 9.2 4.8 12.2

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1 0.5 0.2 0.7 2.0 2.2 1.8 15.0 11.6 17.4

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.5 2.2 2.4 2.0 3.5 4.0 3.1 11.3 8.2 13.4

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 0.5 0.5 0.5 1.7 2.3 1.4 7.2 6.2 7.7

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 1.0 0.6 1.5 1.1 1.4 0.8 7.0 5.5 7.7

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4 0.7 0.7 0.7 2.0 2.4 1.4 6.7 6.5 7.0

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.0 1.8 *1.7 *1.9 2.3 3.9 1.9 11.0 *9.3 11.4

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.6 1.1 0.6 1.3 2.2 3.3 2.0 11.3 9.3 11.8

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6 1.4 1.1 1.5 1.3 2.4 0.9 7.0 6.5 7.1

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.2 2.1 0.9 6.4 5.7 6.6

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 2.1 2.5 1.8 7.7 5.9 9.9

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0 0.8 0.7 0.8 1.5 2.3 0.5 5.7 5.5 6.0

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.2 0.7 0.7 0.8 3.7 3.5 3.8 21.9 14.7 26.0

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.9 0.7 0.7 0.8 1.3 2.2 0.5 5.3 2.8 7.1

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.5 6.4 2.6 8.6

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 0.4 0.6 0.2 1.4 1.6 1.2 7.0 7.2 7.0

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 0.5 0.3 0.7 2.1 3.0 1.4 10.4 9.7 10.8

13 or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.2 3.2 3.1 3.2 5.0 5.8 4.4 14.7 11.1 16.5

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

66
Table 48. Difficulty managing money among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics: Canada, 1985

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2,311 1,109 1,202 1,573 722 851 900 334 556

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.7 2.7 2.0 3.3 6.2 4.1 8.0 20.4 15.7 23.3

Income in quintiles

1 (low) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.7 4.6 *5.6 4.3 7.5 4.7 8.7 10.8 4.4 13.3

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.6 5.7 * 7.1 6.1 6.6 5.6 23.1 21.5 24.2

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.6 1.6 *0.9 2.1 4.0 3.5 4.3 20.9 *17.4 *24.4

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.0 1.0 0.6 1.5 7.4 2.0 13.4 26.2 *15.9 *33.2

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1 2.7 3.1 2.0 6.6 2.4 *13.7 *40.2 * *

Education

0–8 years ........................... 10.5 4.3 3.8 4.8 10.4 7.3 13.4 23.3 20.5 25.4

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.7 1.3 0.8 1.7 4.0 1.3 5.9 18.9 *7.0 24.8

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.4 2.5 1.3 3.6 2.0 2.1 1.9 12.4 *8.0 14.5

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.6 2.9 1.9 3.9 6.8 4.1 10.5 24.5 19.2 31.4

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.8 1.9 2.8 1.4 5.1 4.2 5.4 17.0 8.5 19.6

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.0 1.0 *0.0 1.3 4.6 3.5 4.9 16.8 9.9 18.8

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.7 1.2 *0.0 1.9 1.9 4.2 1.1 12.7 6.3 14.5

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 1.3 *0.0 2.0 1.2 2.7 0.5 10.9 7.2 11.9

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.7 2.8 1.6 3.8 5.3 3.3 7.5 23.9 16.5 31.8

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.1 3.0 1.7 4.3 5.3 3.4 7.8 24.3 17.4 33.1

3 or more persons ..................... 13.5 3.2 3.2 3.1 14.7 6.3 24.8 30.6 *27.7 32.4

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.3 2.6 *0.9 *4.9 3.6 0.5 7.0 10.2 *3.8 *16.8

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.9 1.0 0.0 1.9 6.4 6.2 6.7 10.2 7.3 12.5

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.4 3.6 3.9 3.5 3.6 4.3 3.0 21.4 24.9 19.3

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.2 2.7 *3.0 *2.4 7.5 3.3 10.2 16.9 *13.7 18.5

13 or more .......................... 14.3 7.8 * *6.9 14.1 *2.7 *22.5 39.8 *20.3 *48.3

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

67
Table 49. Inability to manage money among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics: United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20,075 9,427 10,649 14,925 6,517 8,408 9,326 3,411 5,915

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0 0.4 0.5 0.4 1.4 1.8 1.0 6.2 4.8 7.1

Income in quintiles

1 (low) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 1.1 2.3 0.4 1.3 2.1 1.0 5.5 4.4 5.9

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 0.9 1.0 0.8 2.0 3.2 1.1 5.1 5.1 5.1

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8 0.4 0.6 0.2 1.2 1.9 0.5 5.9 4.5 7.0

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0 0.3 0.3 0.3 1.0 0.7 1.2 6.9 3.3 9.3

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.9 0.2 0.1 0.3 1.2 1.3 1.2 10.9 7.7 13.1

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.9 1.3 1.8 0.8 2.6 3.4 1.9 7.5 5.4 9.0

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 0.2 0.2 0.1 1.0 1.4 0.7 4.6 4.3 4.8

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 0.4 0.3 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.5 5.2 3.9 5.9

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6 0.3 0.4 0.2 1.3 1.6 0.8 4.6 3.9 5.6

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.7 1.1 *1.7 *0.9 1.5 2.8 1.2 7.4 *6.9 7.5

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 0.4 0.6 0.3 1.3 1.8 1.2 7.5 6.7 7.7

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6 0.8 1.1 0.7 0.8 1.9 0.4 3.8 4.1 3.7

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 0.5 1.2 0.3 0.7 1.8 0.4 3.3 3.7 3.2

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.9 0.3 0.3 0.2 1.3 1.7 1.0 5.6 3.9 7.6

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.3 0.2 0.3 0.2 1.2 1.6 0.7 3.9 3.5 4.5

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6 0.5 0.5 0.5 2.5 2.2 2.8 16.7 10.5 20.2

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 0.6 0.5 0.8 1.2 1.9 0.5 3.8 2.8 4.4

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2 0.5 0.7 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.3 4.0 1.2 5.5

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.3 0.2 0.4 * 0.9 1.0 0.8 4.2 3.4 4.7

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8 0.1 * 0.2 1.2 2.0 0.5 6.5 6.4 6.6

13 or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.8 0.8 1.0 0.6 3.0 3.4 2.7 11.5 9.3 12.6

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

68
Table 50. Inability to manage money among people 55 years of age and over, by age, sex, and selected characteristics: Canada, 1985.

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Number in thousands

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2,311 1,109 1,202 1,573 722 851 900 334 556

Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6 0.8 0.8 0.8 2.7 1.6 3.6 6.0 3.9 7.3

Income in quintiles

1 (low) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 2.0 *0.0 2.9 2.6 2.1 2.8 3.3 1.9 3.8

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4 0.1 * 0.2 2.9 2.5 3.4 6.1 3.7 7.9

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8 0.5 *0.0 0.9 1.7 1.7 1.7 4.5 *3.8 *5.3

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3 0.2 0.0 0.5 2.8 0.1 5.7 14.4 *8.8 *18.2

5 (high) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 1.2 1.9 0.0 4.1 1.4 *8.6 *6.7 * *

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3 1.3 2.1 0.5 5.9 3.2 8.5 7.5 5.4 9.1

9–12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1 0.2 0.0 0.3 0.5 0.4 0.5 4.3 *1.8 5.5

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.3 1.0 0.0 1.9 0.2 0.4 0.0 4.0 *0.2 5.8

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.8 0.9 0.9 1.0 2.2 1.2 3.6 6.2 4.6 8.4

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4 0.3 0.0 0.4 3.5 3.5 3.5 5.9 2.4 6.9

Previously married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 0.0 *0.0 0.0 3.1 2.7 3.2 6.7 2.9 7.8

Family size and type

1 person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 0.4 *0.0 0.6 1.5 3.7 0.7 3.7 0.4 4.6

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2 0.4 *0.0 0.6 0.8 2.4 0.1 3.8 0.4 4.8

2 persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 0.3 0.0 0.6 1.2 0.8 1.7 6.4 3.8 9.2

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8 0.3 0.0 0.6 0.8 0.8 0.9 5.6 3.7 7.9

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.6 1.8 2.1 1.5 8.6 2.7 15.8 11.3 *9.9 12.2

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.9 0.6 *1.0 *1.5 0.4 0.3 0.5 4.9 *1.7 *8.1

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.1 2.3 1.9 4.6 2.8 6.1

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6 2.5 3.5 1.8 2.0 2.8 1.4 3.3 3.2 3.4

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.8 0.4 *0.0 *0.9 3.6 0.0 6.0 7.0 *7.2 6.9

13 or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.0 0.0 * *0.0 7.8 *0.4 *13.2 12.4 *2.3 *16.8

*Data based on 50–99 sample persons in the denominator are considered unreliable. Data based on fewer than 50 sample persons in the denominator are considered highly unreliable and are not

shown.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

69
Appendixes

Contents

I. The surveys, samples, and sampling errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Surveys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Sampling errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

II. Questions used on the surveys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Questions for the demographic data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Question for disability data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

III. Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Imputation of income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Age adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Relative risks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

IV. Estimates of the black population of the United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Appendix tables

I. Number of people 55 years of age and over in the sample, by selected characteristics: United States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . 72

II. Number of people 55 years of age and over in the sample, by selected characteristics: Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

III. Number and percent distribution of noninstitutionalized people 55 years of age and over in the sample, by income:

United States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

IV. Indicators used in the imputation of unknown responses in the Supplement on Aging income variables,

United States sample, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

V. Results of the ranking procedure: United States sample, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

VI. Number and percent distribution of people 55 years of age and over in the sample, by household income:

Canada, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

VII. Indicators used in the imputation of unknown responses in the General Social Survey income variables:

Canada sample, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

VIII. Results of the ranking procedure: Canada sample, 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

IX. Number of noninstitutionalized black people 55 years of age and over in the sample, by selected characteristics:

United States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

X. Number and percent of noninstitutionalized Americans 55 years of age and over who are black, by age:

United States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

XI. Number and percent of noninstitutionalized black Americans 55 years of age and over with disabilities, by age,

sex and type of disability: United States, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

XII. Age-sex-adjusted prevalence of disability for the noninstitutionalized population 55 years of age and over, by race:

United States, 1984. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

70
Appendix I

The surveys, samples, and

sampling errors

Surveys

United States

The source of data for the United States was the 1984

National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and the Supplement

on Aging (SOA) to the 1984 NHIS. Both the NHIS and the

SOA have been described in previous Vital and Health Statistics reports (14,15) and only brief descriptions will be given

here.

The NHIS is the National Center for Health Statistics’

large continuing survey of the health of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States. Each week a

probability sample of households in the United States is

visited by U.S. Bureau of the Census interviewers to obtain a

wide range of information about the health and health care

characteristics of people living in those households. In 1984,

about 42,000 households (800 each week) were selected for

the sample. The interviewers have special training on the

NHIS in addition to their regular training, and response rates

are relatively high. The household response rate in 1984 was

96.4 percent. The only item with a relatively low response rate

was family income.

The NHIS questionnaire consists of a basic questionnaire

that has major changes implemented only once a decade, and

one or more supplements that are usually added to the survey

for a year. In 1984 there were two supplements—the Health

Insurance Supplement and the Supplement on Aging.

For the basic questionnaire, all adults who are in the

household when the interviewer calls are asked to join the

interview and to respond for themselves. In 1984, 82.4 percent

of the people age 55 and older responded wholly or partially

for themselves.

The SOA sample consisted of all persons age 65 and older

in interviewed households and approximately half of those

ages 55–64. The sample of persons ages 55–64 was selected

by choosing one person in that age group in every household

that included at least one eligible person.

For the SOA, the interviewers made an additional effort to

encourage the selected participants to answer all questions for

themselves. They encouraged the household respondent to ask

the older person to talk to the interviewer if that person had

not been present during the basic interview and, if necessary,

they made extra calls. As a result, an even higher proportion—

91.5 percent—of the responses to the SOA were selfresponses. However, in a few cases information was obtained

from a household respondent for the basic questionnaire, but

no information was obtained for the supplement.

Because the NHIS and the SOA were designed to produce

national estimates for the United States, weights were created

so that estimates from the sample would agree with an

independent estimate of the civilian noninstitutionalized population. This post-stratification was done for each quarter and

the quarterly weights were averaged for the annual weight.

The NHIS and the SOA were independently post-stratified to

this independent estimate. The SOA was done separately

because of the half-sample of persons ages 55–64 and the

lower response rate.

Canada

The source of data for Canada was Cycle One of the

General Social Survey conducted by Statistics Canada in

September and October of 1985. Only a brief description will

be given here. A more detailed description can be found in the

data file user’s guide developed by Statistics Canada (16).

The General Social Survey is an annual survey designed

to monitor changes in Canadian society and provide information on specific policy issues. The content of the survey can be

divided into three sections: classification, core, and focus. The

classification section consists of common demographic variables used to delineate population groups, such as age, gender,

education, and income. Each year the core and focus components change. In 1985 the core content was health and the

focus was on social support for the elderly.

The target population was those 15 years of age and over

in Canada, excluding residents of the Yukon and Northwest

Territories and full-time residents of institutions.

Various sampling procedures were used. They included

two forms of random digit dialing to sample persons who were

15–64 years of age and persons 65 years and over whose

households had recently rotated out of the Labor Force Survey

and had at least one member over the age of 64. Weights were

computed by Statistics Canada to adjust for sampling variability and non-response.

Two interviewing methods were used. Those 15–64 years

old were interviewed by telephone and those 65 years and

over were interviewed in person. The content of the questionnaires varied, depending on the age of the respondent and the

type of interview.

Like the U.S. data, these Canadian survey data are based

on a complex sampling design that can be expected to make

71
the sampling errors somewhat larger than for a simple random

sample (16).

Samples

Tables I and II show the number of people in the sample

for each cell of the detailed tables. Table I shows the sample

numbers for the United States; Table II shows the sample

numbers for Canada.

Sampling errors

The estimates in this report are based on a sample, rather

than on the entire population of people 55 years and over, and

they may differ from estimates based on a complete census

using the same questions and interviewing techniques. In

addition, the NHIS sample has a complex design that has the

effect of making the sampling errors somewhat larger than

they would be from a simple random sample of the same size

using the same procedures. A conservative estimate is that, on

the average, the variance is 20 percent larger than it would

have been for a simple random sample of the same size using

the same procedures (15). For the Canadian sample also, the

sampling errors are larger than they would be for a simple

random sample (16).

To estimate the sampling errors, convert the percentage to

a proportion, calculate the variance of the proportion assuming

simple random sampling, multiply that variance by 1.2 to

allow for the complex sample design, then compute standard

errors, confidence intervals, or significance tests.

For example, the estimate in Table 29 is that 10.4 percent

of the women age 75 years and older living alone in the

United States were unable to read newsprint. There were 1,464

women age 75 years and older who lived alone in the United

States sample (table I). Therefore,

Variance (simple random sample) = pq/n

= (.104) (.896)/1,464

= 0.0000637

Variance (complex sample) = (0.0000637) (1.2)

= 0.0000764

Standard error (complex sample) = (0.0000764)1/2

= 0.00874

95 percent confidence interval = 10.5 ± (1.96) (0.874)

= 10.5 ± 1.713

Table I. Number of people 55 years of age and over in the sample, by selected characteristics: United States, 1984

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races other than black]

Selected characteristic Total

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Total .............................. 14,931 4,289 1,987 2,302 6,540 2,865 3,675 4,102 1,452 2,650

Income in quintiles

1 ................................ 2,560 364 129 235 1,022 265 757 1,174 277 897

2 ................................ 3,193 564 195 369 1,564 643 921 1,065 409 656

3 ................................ 3,151 732 296 436 1,582 748 834 837 360 477

4 ................................ 3,156 1,138 560 578 1,398 689 709 620 249 371

5 ................................ 2,871 1,491 807 684 974 520 454 406 157 249

Education

0–8 years ........................... 4,183 684 322 362 1,740 825 915 1,759 692 1,067

9–12 years .......................... 7,375 2,421 1,016 1,405 3,411 1,346 2,065 1,543 498 1,045

13 or more years ...................... 3,214 1,152 632 520 1,337 666 671 725 242 483

Marital status

Married ............................ 9,214 3,361 1,736 1,625 4,221 2,348 1,873 1,632 1,009 623

Not married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 659 182 84 98 287 124 163 190 54 136

Previously married ..................... 4,935 688 144 544 1,985 375 1,610 2,262 378 1,884

Family size and type

1 person ............................ 4,104 597 180 417 1,733 382 1,351 1,774 310 1,464

Alone ............................. 3,928 550 162 388 1,665 358 1,307 1,713 297 1,416

2 persons ........................... 8,070 2,396 1,114 1,282 3,862 1,968 1,894 1,812 964 848

Spouse ............................ 7,138 2,183 1,066 1,117 3,520 1,892 1,628 1,435 889 546

3 or more persons ..................... 2,757 1,296 693 603 945 515 430 516 178 338

Doctor visits per year

None .............................. 2,972 1,057 558 499 1,251 609 642 664 266 398

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,606 850 395 455 1,142 490 652 614 218 396

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,375 960 440 520 1,496 637 859 919 327 592

7–12 .............................. 3,370 779 338 441 1,502 653 849 1,089 389 700

13 or more .......................... 1,970 466 188 278 876 368 508 628 202 426

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

72
Table II. Number of people 55 years of age and over in the sample, by selected characteristics: Canada, 1985

[Data are based on noninstitutionalized persons of all races]

Selected characteristic

Age-sex

adjusted

rate

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Total .............................. 4,264 1,134 420 714 1,898 953 945 1,232 511 721

Income in quintiles

1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,115 197 52 145 474 171 303 444 139 305

2 ................................ 1,027 182 31 151 468 241 227 377 175 202

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 889 234 72 162 464 227 237 191 98 93

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 695 257 113 144 296 176 120 142 68 74

5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 538 264 152 112 196 138 58 78 31 47

Education

0–8 years ........................... 1,926 357 136 221 870 476 394 699 311 388

9–12 years .......................... 1,353 406 141 265 627 291 336 320 127 193

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 905 344 134 210 368 172 196 193 64 129

Marital status

Married ............................ 2,391 798 318 480 1,116 737 374 477 323 154

Not married .......................... 1,868 331 101 230 782 216 566 755 188 567

Previously married ..................... 1,561 250 51 199 635 135 500 676 152 524

Family size and type

1 person ............................ 1,452 278 88 190 601 184 417 573 160 413

Alone ............................. 1,363 259 79 180 564 172 392 540 146 394

2 persons ........................... 2,011 623 229 394 918 531 387 470 269 201

Spouse ............................ 1,764 580 214 366 807 512 295 377 253 124

3 or more persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 801 233 103 130 379 238 141 189 82 107

Doctor visits in past year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568 164 73 1 275 150 125 129 59 70

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,227 401 157 244 540 291 249 286 140 146

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,269 308 100 208 550 259 291 411 176 235

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 692 136 51 85 318 150 168 238 76 162

13 or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440 110 32 78 188 93 95 142 52 90

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1, 1985.

73
Appendix II

Questions used on the

surveys

Questions for the demographic data

United States

Sex — record if obvious. If not, ask.

What is ___ date of birth?

Was the total combined FAMILY income during the past 12

months — that is, yours, [read names, including Armed Forces

members living at home], more or less than $20,000? Include

money from jobs, social security, retirement income, unemployment payments, public assistance, and so forth. Also

include income from interest, dividends, net income from

business, farm, or rent, and any other money income received.

Of those income groups, which letter best represents the total

combined FAMILY income during the past 12 months (that is,

yours, [read names, including Armed Forces members living

at home])? Include wages, salaries, and other items we just

talked about.

What is the highest grade or year of regular school ___ has

ever attained?

Is ___ now married, widowed, divorced, separated or has ___

never been married?

Family size and type was recoded from a family roster

obtained on the National Health Interview Survey.

During the past 12 months, ABOUT how many times did

[___/anyone] see or talk to a medical doctor or assistant (about

___)? (Do not count doctors seen while an overnight patient in

a hospital.)

Canada

Sex — interviewer coded.

What is your date of birth?

What was the total income of all household members from all

sources during 1984?

How many years of elementary or secondary education have

you completed? Have you graduated from secondary school?

Have you had any further schooling beyond elementary/

secondary school? What is the highest level?

Marital status — interviewer coded.

Family size and type — interviewer coded.

During the last 12 months, how many times did you see or talk

to a general practitioner about your health? During the past 12

months, how many times did you see or talk to a medical

specialist about your health?

74
Questions for disability data

United States

Please tell me if you have ANY difficulty doing the following

activities:

By yourself and not using aids, do you have any

difficulty walking for a quarter of a mile (that is about 2

or 3 city blocks)?

If the sample person responded yes to this question, he or she

was then asked:

How much difficulty do you have (activity): some, a lot,

or are you unable to do it?

By yourself and not using aids, do you have any

difficulty walking up 10 steps without resting?

If the sample person responded yes to this question, he or she

was then asked:

How much difficulty do you have (activity): some, a lot,

or are you unable to do it?

By yourself and not using aids, do you have any

difficulty stooping, crouching, or kneeling?

If the sample person responded yes to this question, he or she

was then asked:

How much difficulty do you have (activity): some, a lot,

or are you unable to do it?

By yourself and not using aids, do you have any

difficulty standing or being on your feet for about 2

hours?

If the sample person responded yes to this question, he or she

was then asked:

How much difficulty do you have (activity): some, a lot,

or are you unable to do it?

By yourself and not using aids, do you have any

difficulty using your fingers to grasp or handle?

If the sample person responded yes to this question, he or she

was then asked:

How much difficulty do you have (activity): some, a lot,

or are you unable to do it?

By yourself and not using aids, do you have any

difficulty reaching up over your head?

If the sample person responded yes to this question, he or she

was then asked:

How much difficulty do you have (activity): some, a lot,

or are you unable to do it?

By yourself and not using aids, do you have any

difficulty lifting or carrying something as heavy as 10

pounds?

Canada

Now I would like to ask you some questions about what you

can do on an average day, with any aids if you normally use

them. Please exclude any temporary difficulties you might be

experiencing due to pregnancy or injury.

Do you have any trouble walking 400 meters without

resting; that’s about 3 city blocks?

If the sample person responded yes to this question, he or she

was then asked:

Are you completely unable to do this?

Do you have any trouble walking up and down a flight

of stairs?

If the sample person responded yes to this question, he or she

was then asked:

Are you completely unable to do this?

Do you have any trouble, when standing, bending down

to pick up an object from the floor?

If the sample person responded yes to this question, he or she

was then asked:

Are you completely unable to do this?

Do you have any trouble standing for long periods of

time; for example, waiting in line at a bank for 20

minutes or more?

If the sample person responded yes to this question, he or she

was then asked:

Are you completely unable to do this?

Do you have any trouble using your fingers to grasp or

handle?

If the sample person responded yes to this question, he or she

was then asked:

Are you completely unable to do this?

Do you have any trouble reaching over your head?

If the sample person responded yes to this question, he or she

was then asked:

Are you completely unable to do this?

Do you have any trouble carrying an object of 5

kilograms 10 meters (that’s like carrying a 12-pound

bag of groceries about 30 feet)?

If the sample person responded yes to this question, he or she

was then asked:

Are you completely unable to do this?

75
United States

If the sample person responded yes to this question, he or she

was then asked:

How much difficulty do you have (activity): some, a lot,

or are you unable to do it?

Now I will ask about some other activities. Tell me about

doing them by yourself.

Because of a health or physical problem, do you have

ANY difficulty doing heavy housework (like scrubbing

floors or washing windows)?

If the sample person responded yes to this question, he or she

was then asked:

By yourself, how much difficulty do you have (IADL):

some, a lot, or are you unable to do it?

Because of a health or physical problem, do you have

ANY difficulty doing light housework (like doing

dishes, straightening up, or light cleaning)?

If the sample person responded yes to this question, he or she

was then asked:

By yourself, how much difficulty do you have (IADL):

some, a lot, or are you unable to do it?

Because of a health or physical problem, do you have

ANY difficulty preparing your own meals?

If the sample person responded yes to this question, he or she

was then asked:

By yourself, how much difficulty do you have (IADL):

some, a lot, or are you unable to do it?

Because of a health or physical problem, do you have

ANY difficulty managing your money (such as keeping

track of expenses or paying bills)?

If the sample person responded yes to this question, he or she

was then asked:

By yourself, how much difficulty do you have (IADL):

some, a lot, or are you unable to do it?

Because of a health or physical problem, do you have

ANY difficulty shopping for personal items (such as

toilet items or medicines)?

If the sample person responded yes to this question, he or she

was then asked:

By yourself, how much difficulty do you have (IADL):

some, a lot, or are you unable to do it?

The next few questions are about how well you can see (wearing

your [glasses/(or) contact lenses] if that’s how you see best).

Can you see well enough to read newspaper print?

Canada

The next questions are about household activities and who

takes part in these activities in your home.

If you had to, could you do heavy housework such as

washing floors and cleaning windows without help?

If the sample person responded no to this question, he or she

was then asked:

Are you completely unable to (activity)?

If you had to, could you do light housework such as

washing dishes and dusting without help?

If the sample person responded no to this question, he or she

was then asked:

Are you completely unable to (activity)?

If you had to make meals on a regular basis, could you

do it without help?

If the sample person responded no to this question, he or she

was then asked:

Are you completely unable to (activity)?

If you had to, could you manage your money without

help?

If the sample person responded no to this question, he or she

was then asked:

Are you completely unable to (activity)?

If you had to, could you do the grocery shopping

without help?

If the sample person responded no to this question, he or she

was then asked:

Are you completely unable to (activity)?

Now I would like to ask you some questions about what you

can do on an average day, with any aids if you normally use

them.

Do you have any trouble seeing well enough to read

ordinary newsprint, with glasses if you normally wear

them?

76
Appendix III

Methodology

Imputation of income

United States

Respondents to the 1984 National Health Interview Survey were asked if their total combined FAMILY income

during the past 12 months was greater or less than $20,000.

Those who answered this question were handed a card listing

more detailed income categories. The card for those with

family incomes less than $20,000 had 19 categories under

$20,000; the card for those with family incomes equal to or

greater than $20,000 had 7 categories at $20,000 and above.

The respondent was asked which of the categories best

represented the family’s income during the past 12 months.

Table III shows the distribution of responses to the two

questions. There was no information from the first question for

5.0 percent of the persons age 55 and older in the sample and

no information from the second question for 15.7 percent.

Data for persons with no information from the first

question, the general income (which had a low nonresponse

rate), were imputed first. The data were then imputed for the

second question, detailed income. Unweighted sample data

were used in both cases.

The first step in the imputation was to create a record for

each family represented in the SOA that contained the values

of five variables on the data file related to income. Table IV

shows the categories used for each of the five variables. In

addition, a randomly generated variate, uniformly distributed

between 0 and 1 and named RANDOM, was added to each

family record. The records were then partitioned into six

imputation classes on the basis of race-ethnicity and educational attainment. Within each imputation class, records were

sorted by family employment-pension status, family size, and

RANDOM.

The second step was to impute general family income. A

hot deck procedure with a cold start (17) was used within each

sorted imputation class to replace missing values for general

family income with imputation values. The cold start provided

a value if the first record considered contained missing data.

The starting value was the mode for the general family income

variable for all records with a known response to this variable.

The third step was to impute detailed family income. To

impute missing values for the detailed income variable, the

general family income variable was added to the matrix. The

same procedure for the detailed income variable was then used

within each sorted imputation class.

After the detailed income was imputed, the data were

grouped into quintiles using the SASt procedure PROC

RANK (18). This procedure ranks the values of a variable

from smallest to largest and arranges these values into the

Table III. Number and percent distribution of noninstitutionalized

people 55 years of age and over in the sample, by income:

United States, 1984

Income Number

Percent

distribution

Total ........................... 16,148 100.0

General income

Less than $20,000 .................. 9,970 61.7

$20,000 or more .................... 5,378 33.3

Unknown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800 5.0

Income under $20,000

Less than $1,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 0.3

$1,000–1,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 0.6

$2,000–2,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 1.2

$3,000–3,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475 2.9

$4,000–4,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 642 4.0

$5,000–5,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561 3.5

$6,000–6,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 608 3.8

$7,000–7,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621 3.8

$8,000–8,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 571 3.5

$9,000–9,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 682 4.2

$10,000–10,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 668 4.1

$11,000–11,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404 2.5

$12,000–12,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 624 3.9

$13,000–13,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345 2.1

$14,000–14,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432 2.7

$15,000–15,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426 2.6

$16,000–16,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284 1.8

$17,000–17,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303 1.9

$18,000–18,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390 2.4

$19,000–19,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448 2.8

Unknown ........................ 1,158 7.2

Income of $20,000 or more

$20,000–24,999 .................... 1,365 8.5

$25,000–29,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 934 5.8

$30,000–34,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 720 4.5

$35,000–39,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456 2.8

$40,000–44,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376 2.3

$45,000–49,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266 1.6

$50,000 or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 677 4.2

Unknown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 584 3.6

Unknown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800 5.0

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics:

Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

77
number of specified groups. Because income was to be

presented in quintiles, the GROUP=5 option was specified.

Tied values were given the mean of the corresponding ranks

(averaged ranks). The results of this procedure are presented in

Table V.

Canada

In the 1985 General Social Survey the respondents were

asked the following four questions concerning income:

1. What was your income before taxes from wages, salaries,

and self-employment during 1984?

2. What was your income from government sources such as

Family Allowance; U.I.C.; Social Assistance, Canada; Quebec Pension Plan; or Old Age Security?

3. What was your income from interest, dividends, or private

pensions?

4. What was the total income of all household members from

all sources during 1984?

For the purpose of this analysis, the question concerning

total household income was used. As can be seen in the

distribution of the responses in table VI, the nonresponse for

this question was relatively high (30.5 percent).

The available information required the use of a different

method for imputing income data from that used for the U.S.

data. However, variables similar to those used in the U.S.

imputation—employment status, level of education, size of

household, and the sum of the other income variables—were

used to create 200 classification groups for imputation. Table VII

gives the categories for each of the classification variables.

To impute income, the weighted household income mean

of a group was substituted for missing data in the group. If a

mean could not be calculated because there were no responding participants in the group, a mean was calculated using the

classification variables for which there were data. For example,

if there were no respondents in the group ‘‘employed, other

education, household of 4 or more persons, and in the first

quintile of the sum of other income variables,’’ the mean for

‘‘employed, other education, and household of 4 or more

persons’’ was used. The results of this procedure are shown in

table VIII.

Age adjustment

Data were age adjusted by the direct method of adjustment. The nonblack population 55 years of age and over of the

United States, as estimated for the National Health Interview

Survey, was used as the standard population.

Relative risks

All relative risks were obtained by dividing the U.S.

estimates of disability by the corresponding Canadian

estimates.

Table IV. Indicators used in the imputation of unknown

responses in the Supplement on Aging income variables: United

States sample, 1984

Family employment/pension status:

1 is any person 21 years of age and over in the family is currently employed

2 is no person 21 years of age and over in the family is currently employed

and all persons in the family are 65 years of age and over

and any one person in the family shows Social Security income and some

other pension source

3 is no person 21 years of age and over in the family is currently employed

and all persons in the family are 65 years of age and over

and any one person in the family shows Social Security income

4 is otherwise

Educational attainment:

1 is the maximum educational attainment of any person in the family is 11 or

fewer years

2 is the maximum educational attainment of any person in the family is 12

years

3 is the maximum educational attainment of any person in the family is 13 or

more years

Race/ethnicity:

1 is the race/ethnicity of the family reference person is Hispanic or black

2 is otherwise

Family size:

1 is the total family size is 1

2 is the total family size is 2 or more

Family income:

1 is less than $20,000

2 is $20,000 or more

3 is unknown

Table V. Results of the ranking procedure: United States sample,

1984

Group Number

Percent

distribution

Total ........................... 16,148 100.0

1 ............................. 3,077 19.1

2 ............................. 3,499 21.7

3 ............................. 3,339 20.7

4 ............................. 3,280 20.3

5 ............................. 2,953 18.3

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics:

Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

Table VI. Number and percent distribution of people 55 years of

age and over in the sample, by household income: Canada, 1985

Income Number

Percent

distribution

Total ........................... 4,264 100.0

Less than $5,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 3.0

$5,000–9,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 794 18.6

$10,000–14,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 17.6

$15,000–19,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383 9.0

$20,000–24,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253 5.9

$25,000–29,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 3.5

$30,000–34,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 3.1

$35,000–39,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 1.9

$40,000–44,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 1.6

$45,000–49,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 1.2

$50,000–59,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 1.4

$60,000–75,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 2.6

Unknown ........................ 1,304 30.5

NOTE: Household income is total household income coded as a continuous variable from $0

to $75,000 Canadian dollars and has been grouped for simplicity of presentation in this table.

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

78
Table VII. Indicators used in the imputation of unknown

responses in the General Social Survey income variables:

Canada sample, 1985

Respondent’s derived labor status:

1 is employed

2 is unemployed

3 is not in labor force

4 is not stated

Respondent’s level of education:

1 is up to grade 8

2 is above grade 8

3 is secondary graduate

4 is some post secondary

Derived household size:

1 is 1 person

2 is 2 people

3 is 3 people

4 is more than 3 persons

Sum of other income variables1

1Total household income, before taxes, from wages, government sources, and from interest,

dividends or private pensions, during 1984.

NOTE: Imputation divided into quartiles, plus a missing category, form five categories in total.

Table VIII. Results of the ranking procedure: Canada sample,

1985

Group

Weighted

number

Percent

distribution

Total ........................... 4,783,329 100.0

1 ............................. 931,815 19.5

2 ............................. 969,160 20.3

3 ............................. 966,923 20.2

4 ............................. 950,926 19.9

5 ............................. 964,506 20.2

SOURCE: Statistics Canada: General Social Survey, Cycle 1. 1985.

79
Appendix IV

Estimates of the black

population of the United

States

This report was designed to provide the most accurate

possible comparisons of older people in Canada and the

United States. It would have been preferable to use the total

noninstitutionalized population of each country, but there are

fewer older black people in Canada than in the United States.

An alternate strategy would have been to show only the

nonblack population of each country, but race was not on the

public-use file for Canada. Therefore, the data used for

comparisons of the two countries were for all older Canadians,

but only for the older Americans who are not black.

Table IX. Number of noninstitutionalized black people 55 years of age and over in the sample, by selected characteristics:

United States, 1984

Selected characteristic

55–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and over

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Both

sexes Male Female

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362 163 199 553 218 335 302 108 194

Income in quintiles

1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 40 70 253 82 171 154 42 112

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 32 46 143 58 85 85 46 39

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 34 36 92 47 45 26 9 17

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 32 24 41 21 20 27 9 18

5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 25 23 24 10 14 10 2 8

Education

0–8 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 71 77 327 135 192 188 77 111

9–11 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 35 46 99 41 58 44 9 35

12 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 34 46 79 23 56 36 13 23

13 or more years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 20 27 34 12 22 22 5 17

Marital status

Married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204 112 92 247 139 108 104 75 29

Separated or divorced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 17 21 49 21 28 18 3 15

Widowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 10 52 194 32 162 165 23 142

Never married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 7 13 28 11 17 7 3 4

Family size and type

1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 38 57 185 61 124 119 18 101

Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 33 51 168 52 116 109 18 91

Nonrelative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 5 6 17 9 8 10 0 10

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 47 71 216 91 125 126 67 59

Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 41 50 154 81 73 84 60 24

Relative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 6 21 62 10 52 42 7 35

3 or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 78 71 152 66 86 57 23 34

Doctor visits per year

None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 48 35 102 55 47 50 21 29

1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 29 27 70 33 37 43 21 22

3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 30 47 98 43 55 56 20 36

7–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 26 49 148 48 100 73 23 50

13–24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 13 22 91 25 66 48 15 33

25 or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 6 8 17 7 10 18 5 13

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

80
This appendix provides some information about older

black Americans and shows how they differ from other older

Americans.

The information presented about older black Americans is

limited by the relatively small number of them in the sample.

There were only 1,217 black persons 55 years and older in the

sample, and most of the cells contained fewer than 100 sample

persons (table IX).

Those 1,217 sample persons represent 4,159,000 older

black Americans living in the community in 1984. Among

these older persons, the proportion who are black is lower at

each older age group as shown in table X.

Older black Americans were more likely to be in the

lower income and education categories. Approximately 40 percent had family incomes in the lowest 20 percent of all

Americans 55 years of age and older. About 6 percent (compared with 2 percent of the general population) had not

proceeded beyond 8th grade and another 19 percent (compared with 16 percent of the general population) had not

finished high school. They were also less likely to be married

(48 percent compared with 64 percent of the general population) and less likely to be widowed (30 versus 24 percent). The difference in the proportion living alone was not

as great (28 percent compared with 24 percent for the

general population).

A comparison of the patterns and relationships by age and

sex for the prevalence of disabilities between the black

population and the general population shows little difference

between the two groups. That is, the prevalence of reported

disabilities was higher at older ages and usually higher among

women than among men (table XI).

More important, perhaps, the prevalence of reported disabilities was consistently higher among black than among

Table X. Number and percent of noninstitutionalized black

Americans 55 years of age and over, by age: United States, 1984

Age Total Number Percent

Number in thousands

55 and over .................. 48,485 4,159 8.6

55–64 ...................... 22,052 1,976 9.0

65–74 ...................... 16,288 1,363 8.4

75 and over .................. 10,145 820 8.1

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics:

Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

Table XI. Number and percent of noninstitutionalized black Americans 55 years of age and over with disabilities, by sex, age, and type of

disability: United States, 1984

Selected disability Total

Male Female

55–64 65–74

75 years

and over 55–64 65–74

75 years

and over

Number in thousands

Total ................................ 4,159 857 559 302 1,119 8,004 518

Percent

Difficulty walking ......................... 34.8 25.3 33.0 36.0 28.1 4.0 58.2

Unable to walk .......................... 13.1 7.5 9.2 12.0 8.8 1.6 31.9

Difficulty climbing steps .................... 31.8 21.0 27.6 28.3 28.8 3.9 52.0

Unable to climb steps ..................... 10.9 6.3 7.7 13.4 5.3 1.1 32.9

Difficulty bending down ..................... 38.4 21.3 32.1 37.9 36.6 5.3 55.9

Unable to bend down ...................... 12.8 3.8 9.6 11.8 11.7 1.7 27.7

Difficulty standing 2 hours ................... 35.3 22.0 35.2 37.9 31.6 4.1 55.0

Unable to stand 2 hours .................... 13.7 6.5 13.0 19.4 8.3 1.5 32.9

Difficulty grasping ........................ 12.2 5.5 12.3 3.6 15.3 1.2 21.4

Unable to grasp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6 0.5 1.5 1.7 1.1 0.2 4.6

Difficulty reaching over head ................. 18.8 10.6 16.1 15.3 17.1 2.5 31.8

Unable to reach over head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 0.6 3.4 5.4 1.1 0.3 10.8

Difficulty lifting 10 pounds ................... 16.5 9.5 10.5 8.9 14.7 2.0 37.4

Unable to lift 10 pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.9 3.6 4.8 4.5 2.6 0.8 23.1

Difficulty doing heavy housework .............. 26.8 13.9 14.6 26.5 24.9 3.7 50.5

Unable to do heavy housework ................ 17.0 10.4 9.5 22.7 12.0 1.9 40.0

Difficulty doing light housework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.9 3.5 6.2 13.5 5.0 0.8 20.0

Unable to do light housework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.1 3.5 3.9 12.9 1.9 0.4 12.7

Difficulty preparing meals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.9 3.9 5.6 13.9 5.4 0.8 19.6

Unable to prepare meals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.2 1.6 2.5 13.9 1.7 0.3 11.4

Difficulty managing money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.9 3.7 4.5 12.4 0.9 0.3 14.7

Unable to manage money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4 1.2 4.0 9.8 0.4 0.2 11.2

Unable to read newsprint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.3 7.0 8.1 18.0 5.8 0.8 11.7

Difficulty shopping ........................ 12.7 7.1 7.0 17.7 9.0 1.2 33.9

Unable to shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.8 3.1 4.7 15.7 5.4 0.6 22.8

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

81
other older Americans. Table XII shows the age- sex adjusted

prevalence for each of the specific limitations. The apparent

prevalence was higher among black Americans for every

measure, although the differences are not always statistically

significant.

The higher level of disability among black than among

other older Americans is not due to their having higher

survival rates or higher rates of institutionalization. In fact,

both survival and institutionalization rates are lower (19,20).

Table XII. Age-sex adjusted prevalence of disability for the

noninstitutionalized population 55 years of age and over, by

race: United States, 1984

Selected disability Black

Other than

black

Percent

Difficulty walking ................ 35.1 22.3

Unable to walk ................. 13.3 9.3

Difficulty climbing steps ........... 31.9 18.7

Unable to climb steps . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.2 6.6

Difficulty bending down ............ 38.4 32.0

Unable to bend down ............. 12.8 10.1

Difficulty standing 2 hours .......... 35.5 27.0

Unable to stand 2 hours ........... 14.0 10.3

Difficulty grasping ............... 12.1 9.2

Unable to grasp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6 0.8

Difficulty reaching over head ........ 18.8 13.3

Unable to reach over head . . . . . . . . . 3.2 2.8

Difficulty lifting 10 pounds .......... 16.6 10.6

Unable to lift 10 pounds . . . . . . . . . . . 7.1 5.0

Difficulty doing heavy housework ..... 26.8 18.2

Unable to do heavy housework ....... 17.2 10.8

Difficulty doing light housework . . . . . . . 8.0 4.8

Unable to do light housework . . . . . . . . 5.2 2.6

Difficulty preparing meals . . . . . . . . . . 8.1 4.6

Unable to prepare meals . . . . . . . . . . 4.3 2.3

Difficulty managing money . . . . . . . . . . 5.1 3.1

Unable to manage money . . . . . . . . . . 3.6 2.0

Unable to read newsprint . . . . . . . . . . 8.4 4.6

Difficulty shopping ............... 12.9 7.4

Unable to shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.0 4.5

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics:

Supplement on Aging, National Health Interview Survey. 1984.

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