Biometric indicators can be early signs of declines in activities of daily living functioning among the Indonesian elderly

Background: Signs associated with the onset of disability can be useful in disability projection and have significant implications in elderly care policy. Objective: To explored the associations between biometric screening indicators and declines in activities of daily life (ADLs) functioning among the Indonesian elderly. Methods: This is a prospective longitudinal cohort study. The Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS) 4 conducted in 2007–2008, and IFLS 5 conducted in 2014–2015 were used to assess the association between biometric indicators and ADLs at baseline and follow-up. Results: Findings revealed that 22.3% of participants surveyed in 2007–2014 had become disabled in terms of ADLs. Anemia status, stage 2 hypertension, lung capacity, and a longer sit-to-stand time were associated with ADLs. Conclusion: These findings are important to help early detection and potentially help the prevention of ADLs in elderly people in the future. Accuracy of disability estimation could possibly be improved if including biometric parameters.