Chronic conditions and intrinsic capacity trajectories among Chinese middle-aged and older adults: a nationally representative longitudinal study

Objective This study aimed to identify trajectories of intrinsic capacity (IC) and examine the longitudinal relationship between trajectories of chronic condition and IC among middle-aged and older adults in China. Methods Cohort data was from three waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study with a final sample of 8,836 participants. IC score was calculated by six different sub-domains. Parallel process latent growth curve model was applied to examine the association between chronic condition and IC trajectories. Results Over the study period, IC decreased significantly (β = −0.182, p < 0.001), with the largest reductions observed in vision and hearing. Increase in number of chronic conditions (β = -0.200, p < 0.001) and residing in rural areas (β = -0.052, p = 0.045) was related to a faster decline in IC. Conclusions Integrated care for older people, complex interventions on multimorbidity, and policies to narrow down rural-urban disparity were warranted to slow IC decline.