[Homebound elderly in a Japanese community: related factors and change of mobility]

The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of homebound elderly (defined as people whose daily activities were limited to their home) and factors related to it among 300 community elderly residents aged 60 and over in Yamagata city. In 1995, the baseline survey was performed and the follow-up survey was conducted one year later. Subjects were divided into two groups according to the extent of their daily activities: the non-homebound group (defined as people whose daily activities extended into their community) and the homebound group. The main results were as follows; 1. The prevalence of homebound elderly was 7.7% in 1995. 2. Chi-square test or t test was performed to examine the relationship between homebound and various factors. Significant factors were age, history of hypertension, history of mental disease, incompetence of ADLs (walking, eating, toileting, bathing, dressing), interpersonal dependency, subjective health, 'ikigai' (meaningfulness of life), life style (cooking, cleaning, reading newspaper or magazine, watching TV, exercise, associate with friend) and TMIG (Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology) index of competence. The present study reveals that daily activities in community elderly residents is related to not only physical factors but also psychosocial factors. Using the significant variables in univariate analysis, multiple logistic regression analysis controlling for age was performed. Significant factors for homebound were incompetence of ADLs (walking, toileting), subjective health and TMIG index of competence. 3. Three out of 214 non-homebound elderly persons in 1995 changed to homebound in 1996.