1995 Volume 5 Issue 1 Pages 11-15
The present study aims at showing the association of self-rated health with a long active life based on a 7-year longitudinal study of the community elderly.
Baseline survey was carried out at home by interviewers in 1983. Ten hundred and twenty-four subjects who were independent in activity of daily living (ADL) at baseline, were followed-up in 1990. Those who were completely independent for every item of ADL at the follow-up were regarded as being in active life. Inactive life was defined as status changed into dependence in any item of ADL, admission to institution or deceased, at the follow-up.
In 1990, 62.4% of men and 60.4% of women were defined to be in active life. Percentage with active life was the highest in the good self-rated health, followed by fair and poor in both sexes. A significantly direct relationship of the self-rated health to the active life was observed after controling for age, education, spouse, drinking, smoking, physician visits, history of stroke using a logistic model. The present study shows that self-rated health is a useful predictor of active life. J Epidemiol, 1995; 5 : 11-15.
