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Aging, health risks, and cumulative disability

A J Vita1, R B Terry, H B Hubert

  • 1Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Calif, USA.

The New England Journal of Medicine
|April 16, 1998
PubMed
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Maintaining healthy habits like not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, and exercising can lead to a longer life with less disability. Lower health risks are associated with delayed onset and compressed disability later in life.

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Longevity is increasing, raising concerns about potential increases in disability.
  • This study investigates the relationship between modifiable health risks and cumulative disability over time.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if individuals with lower health risks experience more or less cumulative disability.
  • To assess the impact of midlife health behaviors on late-life disability.

Main Methods:

  • A longitudinal study of 1741 university alumni, surveyed from 1962 to 1994.
  • Health risks (smoking, BMI, exercise) categorized into high, moderate, and low strata.
  • Cumulative disability measured using a health-assessment questionnaire from 1986 to 1994.

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Main Results:

  • High health risks correlated with twice the cumulative disability compared to low health risks (disability index 1.02 vs. 0.49).
  • Onset of disability was delayed by over five years in the low-risk group.
  • Disability was compressed into fewer years at the end of life for low-risk individuals.

Conclusions:

  • Midlife and late-adulthood health behaviors (smoking, BMI, exercise) predict future disability.
  • Better health habits not only extend lifespan but also postpone and compress disability.
  • Promoting healthy lifestyles can reduce the burden of disability in aging populations.