ABSTRACT
According to a 2003 study of the lifestyles of older adults, the majority (71%) of older men were married compared to women (41%; AOA, 2004). However, this ratio is expected to change, due to the increasing rate of divorce. Furthermore, most older adults lived with their spouses (53.9%), 30.8% lived alone, and only a small proportion lived in a nursing home (4.5%). Geographically, about half of the older adult population lived in one of nine states (California, Florida, New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and New Jersey). Regarding physical health status, only 37.4% of noninstitutionalized older adults assessed their health as excellent or very good (AOA, 2000). ere were minimal di erences between the sexes in self-reported health, but African American older adults (57.7%) and Hispanic older adults (60.1%) were less likely to rate their health as excellent or very good than were European Americans (76.9%; AOA, 2000).
