Risk factors for self-reports of diagnosed cataracts among older adults in Poland
Natalia Lange1, Kacper Jagiełło1, Piotr Bandosz2
1Department of Preventive Medicine and Education, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
Purpose:
The aim of our study was to investigate sociodemographic factors, comorbidities and health behaviors associated with self-reported diagnosed cataracts in a large, nationally representative population of older adults in Poland, aged 60 and older.
Patient And Methods:
An analysis was conducted using a survey of 5956 participants in the nationally representative PolSenior2 study conducted between 2018 and 2019. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the associations between self-reports of diagnosed cataracts and sociodemographic factors, health behaviors, and comorbidities.
Results:
According to the final multivariable model, the odds ratio (OR) of self-reported cataract diagnosis was 1.71 times greater for women than for men. Additionally, the odds increased significantly with age, with 70-79-year-olds having 3.38 times greater odds, 80-89-year-olds having 8.08 times greater odds, and those aged 90 years and older having 10.76 times greater odds than did the reference group (60-69 years old). The prevalence of self-reported diagnosed cataracts was found to be 1.47 times greater among individuals with diabetes, 1.20 times greater among those with hypertension, and 1.25 times greater among tobacco users than among their respective counterparts. Additionally, rural dwellers exhibited a lower risk of self-reported cataracts (OR = 0.63).
Conclusion:
Our study revealed a positive relationship between several demographic and health factors-namely, older age, female sex, urban residence, hypertension, diabetes, and smoking-and an elevated risk of self-reports of diagnosed cataracts.
