Trends in disability in activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living among Chinese older adults from 2011 to 2018

Aim This study aimed to assess the trends in disabilities in activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) among older Chinese adults and explore the influence of multimorbidity and unhealthy behaviors on ADL/IADL disability over time. Methods Data were obtained from four waves (2011–2018) of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Disability in ADL/IADL was defined as inability to perform any ADL/IADL task. Latent class analysis was used to identify multimorbidity patterns. The generalized estimating equation was used to test disability trends. Logistic regression was used to investigate the factors influencing disability. Results The prevalence of IADL and ADL disability showed significant increasing trends among older Chinese adults from 2011 to 2018 ( p trend < 0.001). The negative association between alcohol intake more than once per month and IADL disability strengthened over time ( p trend < 0.05). The influence of the “arthritis/digestive diseases” pattern, “cardiometabolic disease” pattern and “high multimorbidity” pattern on ADL disability weakened over time ( p trend < 0.05). Conclusions The prevalence of IADL and ADL disability among Chinese older adults increased over time. The “arthritis/digestive diseases” pattern, “cardiometabolic disease” pattern and “high multimorbidity” pattern appeared to be less disabling in ADL over time. Improving the prevention and treatment of multimorbidity and developing age-friendly living conditions could be helpful to reduce the risks of disability.