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Ethnic Disparities in the Onset and Progression of Functional Limitations Among Israeli Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Socioeconomic and Health-Related Pathways.

OBJECTIVE
To examine whether socioeconomic and health-related factors explain ethnic disparities in the onset and progression of functional limitations among middle-aged and older Israeli adults.


METHOD
We used data from Waves I-III of the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe in Israel. Logistic and multinomial regression models were estimated to examine the association between ethnicity and transitions in functional status (onset versus progression) from respondents' baseline interview (Wave I or II) to their follow-up interview (Wave II or III).


RESULTS
Compared to veteran Jews, Arabs and Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union were more likely to experience an onset of functional limitations. Arabs were also more likely to experience worsening functional limitations by follow-up. Education and health-related factors attenuated some of the ethnic disparities in onset and progression of functional limitations.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest the importance of moving beyond traditional indicators of socioeconomic status and health-related pathways to fully understand the underlying factors that predict ethnic disparities in the onset and progression of functional limitations in Israel.