Trends and Disparities in Functional Impairment among US Adults Age 55-64, 2002 to 2016.

Over the past decade, US midlife morbidity and mortality have increased, contributing to declines in life expectan cy.1 This worsening health status has been experienced disproportionately by low–socioeconomic status (SES) and racial/ethnic minority individuals2, 3 and is associated with functional deterioration among low-SES middle-aged adults.4 Yet it is unclear if disparities in functional status are rising. Functional impairment may not be recognized as a health problem for middle-aged adults, but it is common and, as for older adults, associated with disability and death.5 Our objective was to examine functional trends among US midlife adults to determine whether and how changes in disparities are concentrated among particular demographic groups.