Relationship Between Accelerated Biological Aging, Race, Perceived Discrimination, and Limitations in Activities of Daily Living.

This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the relationship between accelerated aging (PhenoAge) and limitations in Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) in White, Black, and Hispanic older adults (≥ 50 years). We further aimed to explore how perceived discrimination may differentially impact this association. We ran multivariable logistic regression models to evaluate the strength of the association between accelerated aging, ADLs, and perceived discrimination using 2014/2016 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) data for White (n=2107), Black (n=435), and Hispanic (n=351) adults aged 50 and older who contributed epigenetic clock data during the 2016 HRS Venous Blood Study. We hypothesized that accelerated aging would be associated with greater levels of functional limitations, and that perceived discrimination would impact this relationship with evident disadvantage among Blacks and Hispanics relative to Whites. We found that more Blacks and Hispanics reported ADLs (23.68% and 23.08% respectively) than Whites (12.48%, p<0.01). Blacks reported more discrimination (M 3.71, SD 4.26, p<0.01) than Hispanics (M 2.69, SD 3.84) or Whites (M 2.86, SD 3.52). ADLs were associated with accelerated aging (OR=1.42, 95% confidence interval = 1.13,1.78) and discrimination (OR=1.07, 95% confidence interval = 1.04,1.10). Our research examining how exposure to discrimination differentially affects the biological aging-ADL association across racial and ethnic groups contributes to efforts addressing health disparities associated with functional decline. This work is part of a broader body of research aiming to understand the impact of discrimination on biological outcomes and their consequences for health and loss of independence.