Unhealthy Lifestyle Increases Risk for Nursing Home Admissions

TUESDAY, Aug. 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- An unhealthy lifestyle is associated with an increased risk for admission to a nursing home in adults aged 60 years and older, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

Alice A. Gibson, from the University of Sydney in Australia, and colleagues linked data from the 45 and Up Study to health records for 127,108 men and women in Australia aged 60 years and older. Participants were grouped into three lifestyle groups based on five risk factors: smoking status, physical activity, sedentary behaviors, sleep duration, and diet quality. The association between lifestyle risk factors and nursing home admission was examined.

The researchers found that during a median follow-up of 11.3 years, the risk for nursing home admission was higher among participants in the high-risk versus low-risk group (multivariable adjusted HR [aHR], 1.43), as well as participants in the medium-risk group versus low-risk group (aHR, 1.12). The greatest risk for nursing home admission was seen among participants aged 60 to 64 years in the high-risk lifestyle group (aHR, 2.15).

“Modifying lifestyle, especially reducing sitting time, increasing physical activity and improving sleep, should be explored as new public health measures to reduce the future risk of nursing home admission,” write the authors.

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