Abstract / Summary
Abstract Background and Objectives Intrinsic capacity (IC) is increasingly used to conceptualize healthy aging. However, evidence on socio-demographic correlates in IC among Hispanic older adults in the United States remains limited. Research Design and Methods We analyzed data from a nationally sampled cohort from the 2022 Health and Retirement Study, including Hispanic adults aged ≥60 years. IC was constructed from five domains. Multiple linear regression models examined associations between socio-demographic factors and IC, with stratified analyses by gender, community of residence, and place of birth. Results The sample included 749 participants (60.08% female; 89.05% urban residents; 63.02% foreign-born), with a mean IC score of 6.49 (SD = 1.67). In the overall sample, being male, married/partnered, having a household income above $28,034, and being physically active were positively associated with IC, whereas having two or more chronic diseases was negatively associated with IC (all p < 0.05). Stratified analyses showed that physical activity was positively associated with IC among females, urban residents, foreign-born participants, and US-born participants, while having two or more chronic diseases was negatively associated with IC across most subgroups. Among the interactions examined, only the association between physical activity and IC differed significantly by gender (p < 0.05). Discussion and Implications Physical activity and chronic disease burden were important correlates of IC among Hispanic older adults, with some subgroup-specific patterns observed across gender, residential community, and place of birth. These findings highlight the importance of considering demographic and contextual factors when promoting healthy aging among Hispanic older adults.