Assessment of the Health Status of the Oldest Olds Living on the Greek Island of Ikaria: A Population Based-Study in a Blue Zone

Abstract

Objective To describe the demographic characteristics, socio-economic status, functional status (autonomy, strength), and health status (cognitive and thymic functions, cardiovascular risk factors, and nutritional status) of the oldest olds living on the Greek island of Ikaria. We also try to explain the longevity observed in this population. Methods A cross-sectional observational study of people aged 90 and over living in both municipalities of north-western Ikaria (Evdilos and Raches) was conducted over one year, from October 21, 2012 to October 21, 2013. The participants were interviewed (medical history), had a brief clinical examination, and underwent standardized geriatric assessments including the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), the Mini-Mental-State Examination (MMSE), the Activities of Daily Living (ADL), the Instrumental ADL (IADL), and an assessment of grip strength. Results Seventy-one persons (37 females, 34 males), aged 94.1 years on average, were interviewed at their homes. Seven percent were current smokers (females 5.4%, males 8.8%). Hypertension was diagnosed in 70.4% of participants, diabetes in 19.7%, hypercholesterolemia in 12.7%, and obesity in 17.2%; 66.0% of the population had one chronic disease or more. The mean score for the GDS-15 scale was 3.7/15.0, 23.7/30.0 for the MMSE, 4.0/6.0 for the ADL, and 4.2/8.0 in females and 3.6/5.0 in males for the IADL. Grip strength was 17.0 kg in females and 26.5 kg in males. Conclusions This study provides an overview of the socio-demographic and medical characteristics of the oldest olds living in a longevity Blue Zone.

The Association of Healthy Aging with Multimorbidity: IKARIA Study

“…Taking into consideration that the healthy aging index, used in this study, was developed based on the functionality and mobility theory, our findings suggest that aging Ikarian people are potentially important for their society, since they remain a resource to their families, communities and economies until a very old age. Actually, a recent study on Ikarians also concluded that older Ikarians maintain their functionality and have very few medical conditions, reinforcing the previous statement [ 28 ].…”

Description of Lifestyle, Including Social Life, Diet and Physical Activity, of People ≥90 years Living in Ikaria, a Longevity Blue Zone

“…From 21 October 2012 to 21 October 2013, we conducted a cross-sectional observational study on potential factors influencing healthy ageing in people aged ≥90 living in Evdilos and Raches, the two municipalities located in the northwestern part of the island, where the longevity has been found to be the highest [ 3 , 5 ].…”

“…In 2000, Poulain and Pes identified a location in Sardinia with exceptional longevity. This region has been designated as a longevity blue zone (LBZ) [ 2 ], a concept that has been defined in a previous study [ 3 ].…”

“…Ikaria is a mountainous island located in the Eastern Aegean Sea between Mykonos and Samos. Despite a low socioeconomic status and the presence of cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, and tobacco smoking), the elderly inhabitants of this tiny island have maintained a relatively good health status, in particular a low rate of depression, high muscle strength, and good functional abilities [ 3 , 4 ].…”

“…We thus performed this study in order to describe the lifestyle, including social life, diet, and physical activity, of the inhabitants of Ikaria aged 90 and over. Some previous work has focused on the Ikaria LBZ [ 2 , 3 , 4 ], but they studied a much younger population and did not investigate the same aspects, in a particular social lifestyle.…”