Low adoption of mobility device in later life: Insights from the lens of intersectionality.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the utilization of mobility device, whether age and gender-related use disparities exist, and whether falls can further explain use disparities over time among Chinese older adults in need of devices.

METHODS

Community-dwelling older adults who needed mobility devices and completed four waves of the China Health and Retirement Survey 2011-2018 were included (N = 1,302). A categorical variable was created to represent respondents' intersectionality of age (50-64, 65-74, and ≥75 years) and gender (men vs. women).

RESULTS

The baseline prevalence of device use was 18.2 % (n = 237). Overall, the device use increased over time. Intersectionality-wise, oldest-old women were 1.53 times more likely than youngest-old men to use devices over time. Respondents with falls were more likely to use devices over time.

CONCLUSIONS

Older adults with mobility impairment, especially the oldest-old women and those with falls, lag in mobility devices utilization, suggesting future tailored interventions to support these populations.