Prevalence of Disability among the Chinese Older Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Pian-Pian Zheng, Zi-Le Guo, Xiao-Jing Du, Han-Mo Yang and Zhen-Jie Wang
Additional contact information
Pian-Pian Zheng: Institute of Population Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Zi-Le Guo: Institute of Population Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Xiao-Jing Du: School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Xi′an Jiaotong University, Xi′an 710049, China
Han-Mo Yang: National School of Development, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Zhen-Jie Wang: Institute of Population Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-17

Abstract: Background: Disability is an important problem in aging societies globally. However, the research findings of the prevalence of disability have been inconsistent. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of disability and its influencing factors among the Chinese older population from 1979 to 31 July 2021. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted using both international (PubMed, Web of Science, CBMdisc, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, and EMBASE) and Chinese (CNKI, CQVIP, and WanFang) databases. Meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model to account for heterogeneity. Subgroup analyses were also done. Results: The pooled prevalence of disability across all 97 studies was 26.2% (95% CI: 23.7–28.6%). The estimates varied according to the types of activities of daily living (ADL), gender, age, and region. Studies based on the identification of cases by using the complete ADL scale showed a higher prevalence than those using the basic ADL scale. The prevalence was slightly higher among female older individuals than among male older individuals. The highest rates were seen in older individuals aged 80 years or older. Elders in central China, southwest China, and northwest China were more likely to be BADL-disabled. Conclusion: Prevalence of disability among the Chinese older population is high, around 26%. Using standardized diagnostic systems to correctly estimate the prevalence of disability would be helpful for public health professionals in China.

Keywords: prevalence; disability; activities of daily living; older population; Chinese; meta-analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/3/1656/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/3/1656/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:3:p:1656-:d:739864

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().