Healthy Behaviors and Incidence of Disability in Community-Dwelling Elderly.

OBJECTIVES: In this paper and prospective study, we examine the number of healthy behaviors and the incidence of disability in community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years and older.

METHODS: Participants (N = 4483) were residents of Obu, Japan who were asked about regular exercise, smoking status, and sleep duration. Demographic variables, history of disease, physi- cal function, and cognitive function were measured as confounders. Information about disabil- ity was obtained from the Obu City Office.

RESULTS: At 24 months after baseline assessment, 165 participants (3.7%) were certified as having disability. Participants with 2 healthy behaviors had a 1.61-fold increased risk of disability (95% CI: 1.08 -2.42) compared with those with 3 healthy behaviors; those with one or no healthy behaviors had a 2.01-fold risk (95% CI: 1.26-3.19) even though adjusting for confounders.

CONCLUSIONS: The number of healthy behaviors was associated with the incidence of disability, with the hazard ratios increasing progressively as the number of healthy behaviors decreased.