[Gender Differences in Health Status in a Population of over 85 Year-olds: the Octabaix Study]

Overview

Journal Aten Primaria

Specialty Public Health

Date 2011 Mar 8

PMID 21377767

Citations 7

Authors

Assumpta Ferrer

Teresa Badia

Francesc Formiga

Jesus Almeda

Coral Fernandez

Ramon Pujol

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: To examine gender differences according to health status in the oldest old people of the community.

Design: Cross-sectional multicentre study, within the framework of a clinical trial on falls and malnutrition.

Setting: 7 primary health centres.

Participants: Non-institutionalised patients of 85 years or over.

Methods: The data collected included, socioeconomic data, cardiovascular risk factors, Barthel Index (BI), cognitive status with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Charlson Index to measure comorbidity, nutritional risk evaluated by Nutritional Assessment questionnaire (MNA), mean visual analogue self-rating scale in Euroqol- 5D (EQ-VAS) to assess health related quality life and, Gijón social risk test, and prescribed drugs.

Results: A total of 312 subjects were included, of which 61.6% were women, 53% widows and a third of them lived alone. High blood pressure was observed in 76%, dyslipidemia in 51.2%, diabetes in 17.4%, median BI 95 (rank 0-100), MMSE 28 (0-35), Charlson index 1 (0-7), MNA 25 (10-30), Gijón test 10 (5-21), EQ-VAS 60 (0-100) and the mean prescription drugs 6.1±3.3. Women most frequently lived alone (P<.001), fell more (P<.006), had a greater nutritional (P<.016) and social risk (P<.001). Men were more likely to be married (P<.001), had better cognition (P<.003), better functional status (P<.018), and higher comorbidity (P<.001).

Conclusion: Being a 85 years old man is associated with being married, having better functionality and cognition, and a higher comorbidity. While being a woman is associated with living alone, a higher rate of falls, and nutritional and social risk. These results are important to help this group of elderly to maintain their position in the community.

Citing Articles

Living Conditions and the Incidence and Risk of Falls in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Multifactorial Study.

Escosura Alegre I, Fernandez Rodriguez E, Gomez C, Martin A, Rihuete Galve M Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023; 20(6).

PMID: 36981827 PMC: 10048933. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20064921.

Nutritional screening in a case management program for community-living older individuals at high risk of hospital admission.

Forcano-Sanjuan S, Soriano-Melchor E, Valdivieso-Martinez B, Ruiz-Garcia V, Merino-Torres J, Cruz-Jentoft A Eur Geriatr Med. 2021; 9(5):691-696.

PMID: 34654222 DOI: 10.1007/s41999-018-0083-x.

Prevalence and impact of potentially inappropriate medication on community-dwelling older adults.

Fernandez A, Gomez F, Curcio C, Pineda E, Fernandes de Souza J Biomedica. 2021; 41(1):111-122.

PMID: 33761194 PMC: 8055584. DOI: 10.7705/biomedica.5787.

Sex-Differences in Health-Related Characteristics of Senior Center Users: The VERISAÚDE Study.

Lorenzo-Lopez L, Lopez-Lopez R, Maseda A, Bujan A, Rodriguez-Villamil J, Millan-Calenti J Front Psychol. 2020; 11:964.

PMID: 32499745 PMC: 7244262. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00964.

Multifactorial and multiple component interventions for preventing falls in older people living in the community.

Hopewell S, Adedire O, Copsey B, Boniface G, Sherrington C, Clemson L Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018; 7:CD012221.

PMID: 30035305 PMC: 6513234. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD012221.pub2.

References

Christensen K, Doblhammer G, Rau R, Vaupel J . Ageing populations: the challenges ahead. Lancet. 2009; 374(9696):1196-208. PMC: 2810516. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61460-4. View

Kalaria R, Maestre G, Arizaga R, Friedland R, Galasko D, Hall K . Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia in developing countries: prevalence, management, and risk factors. Lancet Neurol. 2008; 7(9):812-26. PMC: 2860610. DOI: 10.1016/S1474-4422(08)70169-8. View

Guigoz Y . The Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) review of the literature--What does it tell us?. J Nutr Health Aging. 2006; 10(6):466-85. View

Monteserin Nadal R, Altimir Losada S, Brotons Cuixart C, Padros Selma J, Santaeugenia Gonzalez S, Moral Pelaez I . [Randomized clinical trial on the efficacy of global geriatric assessment in primary care]. Rev Esp Geriatr Gerontol. 2008; 43(1):5-12. DOI: 10.1016/s0211-139x(08)71144-2. View

Formiga F, Pujol R, Perez-Castejon J, Ferrer A, Henriquez E . Low comorbidity and male sex in nonagenarian community-dwelling people are associated with better functional and cognitive abilities: the NonaSantfeliu study. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2005; 53(10):1836-7. DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2005.53528_4.x. View

Martin Lesende I, Gorronogoitia Iturbe A, Gomez Pavon J, Baztan Cortes J, Abizanda Soler P . [The frail elderly. Detection and management in Primary Care]. Aten Primaria. 2009; 42(7):388-93. PMC: 7024442. DOI: 10.1016/j.aprim.2009.09.022. View

Orfila F, Ferrer M, Lamarca R, Alonso J . Evolution of self-rated health status in the elderly: cross-sectional vs. longitudinal estimates. J Clin Epidemiol. 2000; 53(6):563-70. DOI: 10.1016/s0895-4356(99)00230-9. View

Collerton J, Barrass K, Bond J, Eccles M, Jagger C, James O . The Newcastle 85+ study: biological, clinical and psychosocial factors associated with healthy ageing: study protocol. BMC Geriatr. 2007; 7:14. PMC: 1924857. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2318-7-14. View

Bootsma-van der Wiel A, de Craen A, van Exel E, Macfarlane P, Gussekloo J, Westendorp R . Association between chronic diseases and disability in elderly subjects with low and high income: the Leiden 85-plus Study. Eur J Public Health. 2005; 15(5):494-7. DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/cki015. View

10.

Buchner D, Hornbrook M, Kutner N, Tinetti M, Ory M, Mulrow C . Development of the common data base for the FICSIT trials. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1993; 41(3):297-308. DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1993.tb06708.x. View

11.

Azpiazu Garrido M, Jentoft A, Villagrasa Ferrer J, Abanades Herranz J, Garcia Marin N, Valero de Bernabe F . [Factors related to perceived poor health condition or poor quality of life among those over 65 years of age]. Rev Esp Salud Publica. 2003; 76(6):683-99. View

12.

MAHONEY F, BARTHEL D . FUNCTIONAL EVALUATION: THE BARTHEL INDEX. Md State Med J. 1965; 14:61-5. View

13.

Lobo A, Saz P, Marcos G, Dia J, de la Camara C, Ventura T . [Revalidation and standardization of the cognition mini-exam (first Spanish version of the Mini-Mental Status Examination) in the general geriatric population]. Med Clin (Barc). 1999; 112(20):767-74. View

14.

Marengoni A, Von Strauss E, Rizzuto D, Winblad B, Fratiglioni L . The impact of chronic multimorbidity and disability on functional decline and survival in elderly persons. A community-based, longitudinal study. J Intern Med. 2009; 265(2):288-95. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2796.2008.02017.x. View

15.

Charlson M, Pompei P, Ales K, MacKenzie C . A new method of classifying prognostic comorbidity in longitudinal studies: development and validation. J Chronic Dis. 1987; 40(5):373-83. DOI: 10.1016/0021-9681(87)90171-8. View

16.

Bootsma-Van der Wiel A, Gussekloo J, de Craen A, van Exel E, Knook D, Lagaay A . Disability in the oldest old: "can do" or "do do"?. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2001; 49(7):909-14. DOI: 10.1046/j.1532-5415.2001.49181.x. View

17.

Rozzini R, Sleiman I, Maggi S, Noale M, Trabucchi M . Gender differences and health status in old and very old patients. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2009; 10(8):554-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.jamda.2009.04.005. View

18.

Sitjas Molina E, San Jose Laporte A, Armadans Gil L, Mundet Tuduri X, Vilardell Tarres M . [Predictors factors about functional decline in community-dwelling older persons]. Aten Primaria. 2003; 32(5):282-7. PMC: 7669215. View

19.

Barberger-Gateau P, Commenges D, Gagnon M, Letenneur L, Sauvel C, Dartigues J . Instrumental activities of daily living as a screening tool for cognitive impairment and dementia in elderly community dwellers. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1992; 40(11):1129-34. DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1992.tb01802.x. View

20.

Ferrer A, Badia T, Formiga F, Gil A, Padros G, Sarro M . [A randomized clinical trial of falls and malnutrition prevention in community-dwelling elders aged 85 years old. The OCTABAIX study]. Rev Esp Geriatr Gerontol. 2010; 45(2):79-85. DOI: 10.1016/j.regg.2009.10.013. View