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Based on a new study conducted by some researchers at the University of Sydney, it can be presumed that poor lifestyle choices in the 60s can substantially increase the risks of landing in nursing homes years later.
The study, conducted on 127,108 men and women aged 60 years and above, sought to hypothesize that, determinants such as smoking, sleeping patterns, sitting hours, physical activity, and diet were able to influence the frequency of need for nursing home admissions.
The individuals were then categorised into three groups based on the scores they got for their lifestyle choices. They were divided into groups of high-risk, medium-risk, and low-risk.
After the participants were followed up on in 10 years it was found that 18% of the volunteers had to be admitted to a nursing home, with 43% more chances of nursing home admissions among the high-risk group as compared to the low-risk one. Volunteers in the medium-risk group also had a 12% increased chance of nursing home admission as compared to the low-risk group.
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Do lifestyle choices actually affect the rates of nursing home admissions among the elderly?
Based on a recent study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, certain indicators like sleep quality, smoking habits, and physical activity can determine the frequency of nursing home admissions among people aged 60 years and above.
The sample for the study included 127,108 individuals, comprising both men and women who were 60 years old and above. Initially, they were scored on the basis of their personal choices and categorized into groups of three.
People who scored the highest were the ones who at least got seven hours of sleep, were non-smokers, were physically active for not less than 300 minutes per week, sat not more than seven hours a day, and had a healthy diet. On the basis of this, they were put into groups of high-risk, medium-risk, and low-risk.
When the results of the study were attempted to be traced at about 10 years, it was found that all lifestyle choice indicators besides diet were responsible for increased risk of nursing home admission among those being studied.
How far is the study feasible?
The study conducted by the researchers at the University of Sydney is important indeed because it is one of the first ones to try and establish a link between lifestyle choices and the frequency of nursing home admissions.
However, there are certain limitations to the study. The lifestyle behaviours that were tracked among the individuals for the study were very specific and anything outside of that was not considered. Important factors like social isolation and loneliness were excluded from the study altogether which are known to influence the physical and mental health of the elderly.
Moreover, the lifestyle choices of the individuals were tracked only once, therefore there is no way of finding out, if there have been any changes in their behaviours during the period of observation.
As mentioned, there are some loopholes in the study as certain factors that are capable of influencing the rates of nursing home admissions among the elderly have not been considered in the study yet. That being, it does mean that the current study is of no significance.
