Transitions in functional status among older people in Wuhan, China: socioeconomic differentials.

The vast majority of research on socioeconomic status (SES) and old-age disability is based on data derived from the developed nations. This study evaluates the external validity of current findings by examining old-age disability in China, a developing nation. The direct, indirect, and total effects of SES on disability transitions were ascertained during a 3-year period in a probability sample of 2,943 people aged 60 years or older in Wuhan, China. As SES measures, education and urban residence exert distinct direct and indirect effects on functional transitions with complicated underlying mechanisms. SES has differential effects on functional transitions depending on one's prior functional state. Furthermore, the generally positive effects of SES are partially offset by negative indirect effects