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Can a Healthy Lifestyle Compress the Disabled Period in Older Adults?

TitleCan a Healthy Lifestyle Compress the Disabled Period in Older Adults?
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2016
AuthorsJacob, ME, Yee, LM, Diehr, PH, Arnold, AM, Thielke, SM, Chaves, PHM, Del Gobbo, L, Hirsch, C, Siscovick, D, Newman, AB
JournalJ Am Geriatr Soc
Volume64
Issue10
Pagination1952-1961
Date Published2016 Oct
ISSN1532-5415
Abstract<p><b>OBJECTIVES: </b>To determine whether lifestyle factors, measured late in life, could compress the disabled period toward the end of life.</p><p><b>DESIGN: </b>Community-based cohort study of older adults followed from 1989 to 2015.</p><p><b>SETTING: </b>Four U.S. communities.</p><p><b>PARTICIPANTS: </b>Community-living men and women aged 65 and older (N = 5,248, mean age 72.7 ± 5.5, 57% female, 15.2% minority) who were not wheelchair dependent and were able to give informed consent at baseline.</p><p><b>MEASUREMENTS: </b>Multiple lifestyle factors, including smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, diet, body mass index (BMI), social networks, and social support, were measured at baseline. Activities of daily living (ADLs) were assessed at baseline and throughout follow-up. Years of life (YoL) was defined as years until death. Years of able life (YAL) was defined as years without any ADL difficulty. YAL/YoL%, the proportion of life lived able, was used to indicate the relative compression or expansion of the disabled period.</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>The average duration of disabled years was 4.5 (out of 15.4 mean YoL) for women and 2.9 (out of 12.4 mean YoL) for men. In a multivariable model, obesity was associated with 7.3 percentage points (95% confidence interval (CI) = 5.4-9.2) lower YAL/YoL% than normal weight. Scores in the lowest quintile of the Alternate Healthy Eating Index were associated with a 3.7% (95% CI = 1.6-5.9) lower YAL/YoL% than scores in the highest quintile. Every 25 blocks walked in a week was associated with 0.5 percentage points (95% CI = 0.3-0.8) higher YAL/YoL%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION: </b>The effects of healthy lifestyle factors on the proportion of future life lived free of disability indicate that the disabled period can be compressed, given the right combination of these factors.</p>
DOI10.1111/jgs.14314
Alternate JournalJ Am Geriatr Soc
PubMed ID27603679
PubMed Central IDPMC5073015
Grant ListP30 AG024827 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL080295 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
HHSN268200800007C / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
N01HC55222 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
N01HC85086 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
HHSN268201200036C / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 HL080295 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
N01HC85082 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
N01HC85083 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
N01HC85079 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 AG023629 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
N01HC85080 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R56 AG023629 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
N01HC85081 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
ePub date: 
16/10