The progression of disability among older adults in Mexico.

The study only followed participants for two years, which may be too short to capture the full trajectory of disability progression, especially given that some participants improved or died. The analysis excluded respondents with missing data on key disability components, which could introduce selection bias if those missing data were related to disability severity. The findings are specific to older adults in Mexico and may not generalize to other developing countries or to populations in developed countries due to different cultural, economic, and healthcare contexts. The study relied on self-reported disability and proxy reports for those unable to answer, which may be subject to recall bias or inaccuracies. The association between social support and higher disability in women does not imply causation; it may reflect that women with more severe disabilities are more likely to receive help, or that receiving help is a marker of greater need rather than a protective factor.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Do not assume that the typical progression of disability (mobility -> IADL -> ADL) applies to older Mexican women. The study found a reversed pattern for women (mobility -> ADL -> IADL), meaning basic self-care difficulties may emerge earlier than complex task difficulties in this population. Additionally, do not interpret the link between social support and higher disability in women as evidence that support causes disability; it likely reflects that support is provided in response to existing severe disability.