Restricted activity days among older adults.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES. The number of restricted activity days experienced by an individual in the course of a year is an important measure of functional well-being, particularly for older adults. We sought to determine multivariate associations between restricted activity days and various health conditions. METHODS. We used data from the 1984 Supplement on Aging of the National Health Interview Survey to estimate the relationship between restricted activity days and age, gender, and the presence or absence of selected chronic conditions and falls for all noninstitutionalized people aged 65 years and over. Chronic conditions and falls accounted for most of the variance in the model. RESULTS. Of an annual average of 31 restricted activity days, 6 days were associated with falls; 4 days with heart disease; 4 days with arthritis and rheumatism; 2 days each with high blood pressure, cerebrovascular disease, and visual impairment; and 1 day each with atherosclerosis, diabetes, major malignancies, and osteoporosis. CONCLUSIONS. These results can be used in estimating the potential impact of health promotion programs on the health status of noninstitutionalized older adults.

Arthritis health service utilization among the elderly: The role of urban‐rural residence and other utilization factors

“…The number of individuals with one of the chronic diseases of interest included 488 respondents with arthritis, followed by fewer respondents with hypertension (n = 414), cardiac diseases (n = 185), diabetes (n = 125), peptic ulcer disease (n = 125), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n = 103). Nearly 44% of respondents had only one of these conditions, while almost 37% had two of the conditions of interest, followed by smaller proportions with 3 or more indicator diseases. Only respondents with self-reported arthritis (n = 488) were included in this analysis.…”

“…These common chronic diseases result in substantial disability in the elderly, accounting for 41% of all restricted activity days (3,4). Although in some populations up to 90% of adults over age 65 have seen a physician for arthritis symptoms, many musculoskeletal symptoms are managed informally (5,6).…”

The Epidemiology of Arm and Hand Swelling in Premenopausal Breast Cancer Survivors

“…Lymphedema is an often debilitating consequence of breast cancer treatment (5,9,(48)(49)(50)(51). The goal of this study was to determine prospectively the incidence and prevalence of lymphedema in young breast cancer survivors, to assess which factors were associated with reporting lymphedema (ever and persistently), and to assess the effect of lymphedema on quality of life.…”

A risk profile for identifying community-dwelling elderly with a high risk of recurrent falling: results of a 3-year prospective study

“…Falls are a serious public health problem in the elderly because they occur frequently and may have severe consequences [1][2][3][4]. Of the people over the age of 65 who live in the community, 30% fall at least once a year [5][6][7].…”

“…Of the people over the age of 65 who live in the community, 30% fall at least once a year [5][6][7]. These falls can result in serious injuries, such as fracture and head trauma [5,6,8], and may cause a fear of falling [1][2][3]. Ten percent of all falls result in a major injury, of which 1% are hip fractures and 5% are other fractures [6].…”