2018 Volume 22 Issue 1 Pages 99-104
Factors reported to contribute to aspiration pneumonia include the relevant awareness, tooth brushing behavior, and nutritional status. We conducted an investigation of sex differences in these factors using a survey of actual conditions in self-reliant elderly people dwelling in the community, in research aimed at the prevention of aspiration pneumonia. We targeted self-reliant elderly people aged 65 years or older for analysis, with a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was sent to 1000 target subjects by postal mail. Responses were received from 629 subjects (response rate: 62.9%). Response contents were subject attributes, tooth-brushing behavior, nutritional status, and awareness of aspiration pneumonia, and responses were analyzed with the chi squared test and the Mann-Whitney U test. Analyses revealed significant sex differences in volition for tooth brushing (p < 0.001) and forgetting to brush teeth before sleeping (p < 0.015). Men forgot to brush their teeth more frequently than women. No significant sex difference was noted in nutritional status or awareness of aspiration pneumonia. Considering the sex difference observed in the subjects of this study, we suggest the importance of promoting further health education on behavior for preventing aspiration pneumonia in the elderly.
