A Follow-up Study on Lifestyle and Mortality among the Elderly

作者通过一项后续研究，调查了老年人的健康实践、社会网络和死亡率之间的关系。研究对象是1982年居住在高知县大泻市的65岁或以上的社区居民（636名男性和857名女性）。在基线时，每个受试者报告了他们的健康习惯（饮食习惯、排便习惯、睡眠时间、吸烟和饮酒）和社会网络（配偶、生活安排、与朋友的联系、参加老年人团体活动以及工作和/或家庭角色）。每个实践或网络和复合措施，即实践或网络受试者的数量和死亡率之间的关联是通过调整年龄和健康状况的比例风险模型来检验的。分析按性别和年龄（65-74岁；75岁以上）进行分层。主要研究结果如下。1)在75岁及以上的男性和女性中，有两种或更少的较好习惯的人的死亡率增加（相对于所有五种习惯的风险比在男性中为1.92，在女性中为2.33,95%置信区间（CI）分别为1.00-3.70和1.04-5.24）。2)在男性和女性中，社会网络的综合测量与75岁及以上人群的死亡率相关。在这个年龄组的男性中，只有那些拥有两项或更少的项目的男性死亡风险增加（相对于拥有五项项目的男性的风险比= 1.9,CI = 1.1-3.1）。在75岁或以上的妇女中，有3个或2个或更少的物品的妇女的死亡风险都增加（相对于有5个物品的妇女的风险比分别为1.9和2.4；CI分别为1.0-3.5和1.3-4.6）。

The authors examine the associations of health practices and social networks and mortality among the elderly through a follow-up study. Subjects are community dwelling persons aged 65 or older (636 men and 857 women), living in Ohgata, Kochi Prefecture in 1982. At baseline, each subject reported their health practices (eating habit, bowel habit, sleeping hours, smoking and alcohol drinking) and social networks (spouse, living arrangements, contact with friends, attendance at group activities for the aged and jobs and/or family roles). The association between each practice or network and composite measure, that is the number of practces or networks subjects having and mortality was examined with a proportional hazards model adjusting for age and health status. Analyzes were stratified by gender and age (65-74;75+). Main findings are as follows.1)In both men and women aged 75 and older, mortality among persons having two or less preferable practices had increased mortality risk (hazard ratio relative to those having all five practices = 1.92 among men and 2.33 among women, 95 percent confidence interval (CI) = 1.00-3.70 and 1.04-5.24 respectively).2)In both men and women, the composite measure of social networks was associated with mortality among persons aged 75 and older. In men of this age group, only those having two or less items had increased mortality risk (hazard ratio relative to those having five items = 1.9, CI = 1.1-3.1). In women aged 75 or older, both of those having three items and two or less items had increased mortality risk (hazard ratio relative to those having five items = 1.9 and 2.4, respctively ; CI = 1.0-3.5 and 1.3-4.6 respectively).