Medical-social intervention in a 70-year-old Swedish population. A general presentation of methodological experience

The possibilities of improving physical, mental and social functioning or retarding the development of handicap and reducing the need for medical and social services were investigated in an interdisciplinary intervention study in a representative population sample of 1206 70-year-olds. The assessments concerned cognitive function and mental health, earlier and current social interaction and living conditions, state of health including dental status, muscular strength and performance, pulmonary and cardiovascular function, bone mineral content, ADL and dietary habits. The intervention (response rate 76.8%) concerned social, psychological, environmental and medical aspects in 400 and medical aspects only in 406 probands. 400 register controls were sampled for comparison. The intervention period was 2 years, and a follow-up study will be performed at the age of 75. The interventions were guided by the life-style and the activity hypotheses within the resource perspective to promote everyday activities. The study allows comparisons with two previous 70-year-old cohorts investigated with similar methods in Gothenburg.