Type II diabetes is a growing health problem in the United States. Understanding geographic variation in diabetes prevalence will inform where resources for management and prevention should be allocated. Investigations of the correlates of diabetes prevalence have largely ignored how spatial nonstationarity might play a role in the macro-level distribution of diabetes. This paper introduces the reader to the concept of spatial nonstationarity—variance in statistical relationships as a function of geographical location. Since spatial nonstationarity means different predictors can have varying effects on model outcomes, we make use of a geographically weighed regression to calculate correlates of diabetes as a function of geographic location. By doing so, we demonstrate an exploratory example in which the diabetes-poverty macro-level statistical relationship varies as a function of location. In particular, we provide evidence that when predicting macro-level diabetes prevalence, poverty is not always positively associated with diabetes
Background
Physical performance measures have been found to be strong predictors of adverse outcomes in aging populations. Few studies have examined the predictive ability of physical performance measures exclusively within populations of the very old. This study explores the predictive ability of the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and its three subcomponents - a timed walk, balance test, and timed repeated chair stands - on mortality in a sample of Mexican- Americans aged 75 and older.
Methods
Logistic regression analyses were used with data from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly (Hispanic EPESE), to investigate the relationship between timed walk, balance test, repeated timed chair stands, and the SPPB and mortality over a 2 ½ year period.
Results
We find that being unable to complete the timed walk, the balance test, repeated timed chair stands, or unable to complete any of the SPPB was significantly associated with mortality over 2 ½ years.
Conclusions
These findings indicate that physical performance measures may be less predictive of short term mortality in very old Mexican Americans than previously thought. More research is needed to understand this relationship.
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