As U.S. life expectancy has increased, questions arise as to how the quality of health and functioning in the elderly population has changed. Data from the 1982-2004 National Long-Term Care Survey (NLTCS) suggested that chronic disability prevalence above age 65 declined at an increasing rate with a 2.2% per annum rate of decline from 1999 to 2004 ( 71 ). Inflation-adjusted per capita Medicare expenditure rates in nondisabled persons also declined, 0.9% per annum from 1982 to 2004, which suggests that declines in disability were driven by improving health -- not by increases in per capita health expenditures. Declines in disability prevalence were found in other U.S. national health surveys. Analyses of U.S. Civil War veterans suggest recent disability declines were continuations of declines in both chronic disease and disability occurring over the past century due to improved nutrition, sanitation, and education. Concerns exist about whether disability declines will continue because of recent increases in obesity prevalence.

中文翻译：

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美国老年人口中慢性残疾的近期减少：危险因素和未来动态。

随着美国预期寿命的增加，人们对老年人口的健康质量和功能发生了怎样的变化提出了疑问。1982-2004年美国国家长期护理调查（NLTCS）的数据表明，65岁以上的慢性残疾患病率呈下降趋势，从1999年至2004年每年下降2.2％（71）。经通货膨胀调整后的非残疾人人均医疗保险支出率也下降了，从1982年至2004年每年为0.9％，这表明残疾人数的减少是由健康状况的改善驱动的，而不是人均医疗保健支出的增加。在其他美国国家健康调查中发现，残疾发生率下降了。美国的分析 内战退伍军人认为，由于营养，卫生条件和教育水平的提高，最近一个世纪以来残疾的下降是慢性疾病和残疾下降的延续。人们担心由于最近肥胖症患病率的增加，残疾是否会继续下降。