Are elderly HUNT participants healthier than before?

Since the number of elderly people will rise in the years to come, knowledge about their health trends is important for social planning. The objective of this study was to investigate trends in health development among elderly people over 70 years in Nord-Trøndelag county.

In the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT) we have collected health data over three rounds: HUNT1 (1984 – 86), HUNT2 (1995 – 97) and HUNT3 (2006 – 08). Using cross-sectional analyses, we have studied changes in self-reported health, level of functioning and the use of health services. The material includes 12 391 persons (85 % participation) in HUNT1, 11 069 (69.3 % participation) in HUNT2 and 8 194 in HUNT3 (54.7 % participation).

Subjective health and activities of daily living (ADL functions) were assessed as better in HUNT3 than in HUNT2. Self-reported physical activity increased from HUNT1 to HUNT3. The use of home-help services decreased from HUNT2 to HUNT3, while the use of nursing homes and home nursing services remained unchanged. The use of general practitioner services increased in all periods, while the use of outpatient services increased strongly from HUNT1 to HUNT2.

It appears that the elderly inhabitants of Nord-Trøndelag county feel that their health has improved and that they have become more self-reliant and more physically active in the period from 1984 to 2008, but the findings need to be interpreted with some caution due to the decline in the participation rate from HUNT1 to HUNT3.