Mobility disability in midlife: a longitudinal study of the role of anticipated instrumental support and social class.

On the basis of the evidence of a protective effect of social support on the functional ability of older people and social inequalities in mobility the present study aims to (1) study if onset of mobility disability in a middle-aged cohort is associated with social class and (2) study if anticipation of instrumental support has a protective effect on mobility at 6-year follow-up, and whether this effect is modified by social class. Data on 3549 40- and 50-year-old men and women were obtained from The Danish Longitudinal Study on Work, Unemployment and Health in 2000 and 2006. Ten percent of the study participants experienced onset of mobility disability at follow-up. Significantly more individuals in the lower social classes experienced onset of mobility disability and never anticipated instrumental support, compared to the higher social classes. In this middle-aged population the anticipation of instrumental support had no significant effect on mobility disability at 6-year follow-up. Social class did not modify the association between anticipated instrumental support and mobility, but was the most important confounder. Further research on the effect of social support on mobility in midlife is needed in order to identify individuals at risk of disability at an early stage. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.