QOL Models Constructed for the Community-dwelling Elderly with ikigai (purpose in life) as a Composition Factor, and the Effect of Habitual Exercise

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to construct QOL models for the elderly that included ikigai as a composition factor and to clarify differences in two kinds of models, one constructed for the elderly with habitual exercise and the other for those without it. The subjects were 1,566 healthy community-dwelling independent people aged 60 years or more (752 males, 814 females). First, the ratio of subjects with ikigai was calculated. The ratios of subjects with different kinds of objects of ikigai were also calculated. Next, structural equation models (SEM) were constructed on the basis of social, physical, and mental QOL and ikigai. Fits of the models were evaluated. To examine whether the presence or absence of habitual exercise caused any difference in the QOL model, subjects were divided into 4 groups according to whether they were male or female and whether they had or did not have an exercise habit. Multipopulation group simultaneous analysis was then performed among the four groups. More than 85% of the subjects had objects of ikigai. Ikigai is an important factor for comprehending the QOL of the elderly. It was possible to construct QOL models for the elderly with ikigai as a composition factor. The effect of physical QOL on mental QOL was negligible in females irrespective of whether they had an exercise habit. The effect of social QOL on mental QOL was profound in aged females with an exercise habit. The effect of the living situation on mental QOL was profound in aged females without an exercise habit. The effect of mental QOL on ikigai was more marked in subjects without an exercise habit than in those with an exercise habit.

Psychological attitudes and risk of breast cancer in Japan: a prospective study

“…By contrast, ease of anger arousal and self-perceived stress of daily life were not significantly correlated with the breast cancer risk. ''Ikigai'' is a term considered peculiar to the Japanese language [12] that has attracted attention from some researchers [13]. It has been a keyword for health promotion and welfare services for the Japanese elderly [11], but its favorable effects on health outcomes have rarely been examined epidemiologically.…”

“…Japanese dictionaries define ''ikigai'' as something to live for; the joy and goal of living; the happiness and benefit of being alive. The term ''ikigai'' is a peculiar to the Japanese language [12], being less philosophical and more intuitive in its nuance than comparable terms in Western languages [13]. It is a comprehensive concept that reflects emotions such as happiness and life-satisfaction as well as the cognitive evaluation towards one's life [14].…”

“…It is a comprehensive concept that reflects emotions such as happiness and life-satisfaction as well as the cognitive evaluation towards one's life [14]. Recently, some researchers have used ''ikigai'' directly and reported its associations with various health conditions [11,12,[14][15][16][17][18][19] including total mortality [17]. It has not been evaluated for its relationship with breast cancer risk, but we hypothesized that it would have a protective effect on breast cancer development.…”

The water exercise improves health-related quality of life of frail elderly people at day service facility

“…Results from our previous study clarified that among frail elderly requiring a low level of nursing care who participated in water exercise once a week, ADL disability took 6 months to show improvement, although water exercise twice a week at a day service facility improved ADL disability for 3 months and subsequently plateaued after that [18]. HRQL is related to ADL disability [16]. Therefore, HRQL changes might differ according to exercise frequency.…”

“…HRQL is related to body function and structure, activity, and participation [16,17]. Results from our previous study clarified that participating in water exercise at a day service facility helps frail elderly people who require a low level of nursing care to foster exercise habits and improve ADL disability and lower muscle strength [18].…”