# INDEPENDENT AND DEPENDENT LIFE IN THE ELDERLY

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY · 1993 · $173,941

## Abstract

Longitudinal data from two cohorts of Roman Catholic sisters (nuns) will
be used to test hypotheses relating demographic-, cognitive-, and family
mortality-related measures during early and mid life to longevity and to
independence and dependence in activities of daily living (ADLs).  The
Historic Cohort consists of 1,975 sisters born between 1890 and 1915  who
joined a religious congregation at about age 20.  The Surviving Cohort
consist of an estimated 760 sisters from the "Historic Cohort" who survive
to 1990 and agree to participate in four annual assessments of mental and
physical function and ADLs during 1990-1994.  Archival information and
previously collected questionnaire data will be used to characterize early
and mid life exposures.  Life tables will estimate life expectancies and
the mean duration of independence and dependence in each ADL for various
"exposure" groups.  Logistic regression will estimate for individual
independent variables the multivariate-adjusted odds of sisters "surviving
to old age (1990) with intact ADLs" as well as the odds of 75 to 100 year-
old sisters developing "ADL-dependencies" during 1990-1994.  Latent
variable structural equation analysis (LISREL) will examine hypothesized
patterns of relationships of the early and mid life measures with one
another and with various health outcomes.  Hypotheses to be tested: (1)
Each year of attained education will be associated with approximately one
extra year of life expectancy after age 20, and a significant increase in
the odds of 20-year-old sisters "surviving to old age with intact ADLs".
Each year of education is associated with a moderate increase in the
duration of "ADL-independence", a small decrease in the duration of "ADL-
dependence", and a moderate decrease in the odds of developing "ADL-
dependencies".  (3) Relationships between education and the health
outcomes described above will be explained, in part, by five correlates of
education (which each make independent contributions to the health
outcomes): socioeconomic status of the family of origin, mortality of the
family during the subject's childhood, writing skills at about age 20,
occupation, and frequency of holding elected offices in the congregation.
Because of the relatively homogenous adult lifestyle of the study
population, our findings should not be  confounded by factors such as
smoking and alcohol use, reproduction history, marital status, living
arrangements, income, social isolation, nor materially affected by changes
in the prevalence of these characteristics across age groups or birth
cohorts.  This is a well defined, cooperative, and essentially closed
population in which to analyze survival and the loss of ADLs.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3121794
- **Project number:** 5R01AG009862-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
- **SAM.gov UEI:** H1HYA8Z1NTM5
- **Principal Investigator:** DAVID A. SNOWDON
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1993
- **Award amount:** $173,941
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1990-09-01 → 1995-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3121794

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3121794, INDEPENDENT AND DEPENDENT LIFE IN THE ELDERLY (5R01AG009862-04). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3121794. Licensed CC0.

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