Transitions in activities of daily living in Mexico, 2001-2012.

OBJECTIVE This paper describes the 2001-2012 progression of limitations in daily activities in the Mexican elderly population aged 60 or older and identifies how sociodemographic and health factors affect these progressions. MATERIALS AND METHODS Data come from the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS), a national sample of adults born in 1951 or earlier, including a baseline survey in 2001 and follow-ups in 2003 and 2012. RESULTS Difficulty in getting dressed is the activity that has the highest prevalence in all three waves for both genders. In the 11-year transition, 42.8% of the respondents with no limitations in 2001 reported no limitations in 2012. In contrast, 60.8% of those who reported three or more limitations in 2001 had died by 2012. CONCLUSIONS With the rapid aging of the Mexican population, the knowledge of patterns of deterioration of functional limitations will prove useful for future public health policies.