Disability and principal lifetime occupation in the elderly.

This study addresses the relationship of disability with principal lifetime occupation in the elderly. Daily function, cognitive, and physical health variables were assessed in an Italian population of 524 community-dwelling elders aged seventy and over. Farmers had 1.4 (95% C.I.: 0.6 to 2.2) instrumental daily functions lost higher than white-collar workers. Adjustment for age, education, and financial dissatisfaction with multiple linear regression analysis decreased the difference to a still significant figure of 0.9 (95% C.I.: 0.1 to 1.7). On the contrary, adjustment only for cognitive status resulted in complete disappearance of the association [0.2 functions lost (95% C.I.: -0.5 to 0.9)]. The data indicate that greater disability in the most disadvantaged occupational groups may be due to poorer cognition.