Health status and life style in elderly Japanese men with a long life expectancy
Article Abstract:
The life expectancy of Japanese men living in Japan is one of the longest in the world, but it is exceeded by that of Japanese-American men living in Hawaii. To generally characterize the health of Japanese men in Hawaii, and to specifically identify the factors associated with their increased longevity, a 1980 to 1982 health survey of 1,379 Hawaiian Japanese men was evaluated. The participants ranged in age from 60 to 81 years and did not reside in institutional facilities, such as nursing homes. The data collection was part of the Honolulu Heart Program. Many of the questions and physical examinations focused on arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. No clear indicators of the increased longevity among Hawaiian men of Japanese descent materialized from the study. The most common health problems were high blood pressure (43 percent), arthritis (33 percent), diabetes (13 percent), and gout (9 percent). Among the Japanese-American men, the prevalence of coronary heart disease and stroke was lower than that reported in previous studies of white men in the continental US. Coronary heart disease, stroke, and angina occurred more frequently in older men of Japanese descent (75 to 81 years of age), and cancer and high blood pressure tended to occur in a similar distribution. Although hypertension occurred less frequently among the elderly Japanese men, normal serum cholesterol levels and smoking rates were similar to those of white US males. One third of the Japanese men were nondrinkers, but the comparison of alcohol use by different groups is difficult to interpret. Fewer than one percent of the Japanese-American men rated their health as poor, and less than five percent found life unsatisfying; this may be related to their low levels of functional disability and to not living alone. Further research is needed to determine the factors that contribute to the longevity of Japanese-American men who live in Hawaii. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journals of Gerontology
Subject: Seniors
ISSN: 0022-1422
Year: 1990
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Active life expectancy for 10,000 Caucasian men and women in three communities
Article Abstract:
Recently, researchers have begun to recognize that assessing health in elderly adults involves more than looking at the avoidance of death and disease in that population. The quality of life, including the ability to do things independently, is also important. Active life expectancy (ALE) was developed as a measure that considers not only death and disease, but also quality of life, in evaluating health in the elderly. ALE is defined as the period of life in which the person remains free from disabilities in the activities of daily living (ADLs). This study measured ALE in three large communities. Surveys were performed with Caucasian adults 65 years of age and older in East Boston, two rural communities in Iowa, and New Haven, Connecticut. Results showed that ALE for men aged 65 and currently independent was in the range of 11.3 to 13.0 years, and for women it was from 15.5 to 17.1 years. The percentage of the expected remaining life that was expected to be in the dependent state increased as age increased, from 10 to 20 percent at age 65, to 50 percent at age 85. The numbers of years for ALE were higher for women than men at all age levels, but because women also have higher life expectancies at all age levels, women did not show a greater percentage of independent living years left at each age level. These results show that with aging, there is a constant decline in the ratio of expected number of active years to years of expected life. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journals of Gerontology
Subject: Seniors
ISSN: 0022-1422
Year: 1991
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The tangled story of plaques and arteries
Article Abstract:
Recent studies on correlation between cardiovascular health and dementia and Alzheimer's disease are discussed.
Publication Name: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Subject: Seniors
ISSN: 0002-8614
Year: 2005
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