Australian scientists have identified five factors of poor lifestyle, from the age of sixty, which are associated with an increased risk of going to nursing homes.
- Researchers have defined five risk factors for admission to a nursing home.
- These are smoking, physical inactivity, sitting for a long time during the day, poor sleep and an unbalanced diet.
- People who meet several of these factors have between 12% and 43% more risk of going to a nursing home.
Between 60 and 64 years old, five factors increase the risk of going to a nursing home, according to a study published in the journal Journal of Epidemic & Community Health. These are smoking, low level of physical activity, sitting for a long time during the day, poor sleep and an unbalanced diet.
EHPAD: “people could change their lifestyle to influence their risk of admission”
“We know that factors, such as lack of sleep and inactivity, increase the risk of developing diseases like dementia and diabetes, but this is the first study to observe the impact (…) on the risk of admission [en EHPAD] for an elderly population, explains Dr. Alice Gibsonone of the authors. Although more research is needed, our findings indicate that people could potentially make lifestyle changes to impact their risk of admission to a nursing home or aged care facility.“
To study the impact of these factors, researchers analyzed data from 127,108 men and women aged 60 and over. All completed a lifestyle questionnaire regarding the five factors. Based on this information, they were classified into different risk groups: low, medium and high.
43% more risk of going to an EHPAD due to poor lifestyle
Results: Participants in the medium and high groups had 12% and 43% additional risk of going to an elderly care facility, respectively, compared to those with a healthy lifestyle. The researchers also observed that the risk gradually increased: the more people had risk factors, the more likely they were to go to a nursing home.
On the other hand, 60-64 year olds were the age group for which a poor lifestyle had the greatest impact on the risk of admission to a nursing home. Finally, this risk was also 55% higher for smokers, compared to those who had never smoked.
By the end of the study, 23,094 of the 127,108 participants had been admitted to a nursing home. “This study suggests that we should work on strategies to encourage older adults to improve their lifestyle, including focusing on quitting smoking, reducing time spent sitting, increasing physical activity and improving sleep”, concludes Dr. Alice Gibson.
