Examination of the Subjective Health of Remote Island Inhabitants and Associated Factors by Age Grou

Abstract

  In the remote island district of Nagasaki, health support to extend healthy life expectancy as well as improve the subjective health of inhabitants is thought to be necessary. In the present study, we examined lifestyle issues and the social environment associated with the subjective health of inhabitants of this remote island district. Valid responses were obtained from 1,224 people. The ages of participants were classified into three groups: young, middle-aged and elderly. Overall, 80.7％ of respondents answered that they had good subjective health. The subjective health of the elderly group, however, was much lower. The reasons given for good subjective health varied among age groups. In the young and middle-aged groups, good subjective health was associated with the habit of eating vegetables and not having a past history of poor health. On the other hand, good subjective health of the elderly group was related to their ability to chew their food properly. With regards to the social environment, those in the young and elderly groups who have friends in their exercise groups and those in the middle-aged group who have family support for exercise gave themselves high subjective health evaluations. The results suggest that it is necessary to consider age groups when searching for solutions to health problems.