Health behaviors as predictors for declines in higher-level functional capacity in older adults: the Ohasama study

To determine the characteristics of health behaviors related to higher-level functional decline in older community-dwelling adults.

Prospective.

Ohasama Town, Japan.

One thousand fifty residents (mean age: 67.5) free of functional decline at baseline.

Health behaviors including smoking status, alcohol consumption, frequency of exercise, sleep duration, dietary habits (supplement use, breakfast, late-night snacking, eating regularly, and eating out), and self-rated health were obtained from a self-administered questionnaire at baseline. Higher-level functional decline was examined using the subscales of the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence.

During the 7-year follow-up, 27.5% of eligible participants reported decline in higher-level functional capacity. After adjustment for putative confounding factors, health behaviors that were significant predictors for declines in higher-level functional capacity at the 7-year follow-up were current smoking (odds ratio (OR) = 1.58, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.06-2.36), sleep duration of 9 hours or longer (OR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.49-3.11), and poor self-rated health (OR = 1.93, 95% CI = 1.40-2.67).

Several modifiable health behaviors contribute to higher-level functional decline.