Abstract
Objective: This study investigated the relationship of height and body mass index (BMI) to survival days over a three-year period among urban elderly dwellers.
Methods: A self-report questionnaire survey was administered to 20,938 men and women aged 65 years or older in an urban city of Tokyo in September 2004. Responses were received from 13,460 participants (response rate 64.3%): however, 12,833 responses were analyzed in the study, as 126 lost their ID number and 501 had moved to another city. By August 2007, 549 participants had died. A comparison of survival duration among subgroups based on height and BMI was conducted using ANOVA and a Cox regression model.
Results: Total number of survival days was significantly lower among participants with a BMI ⟨19 in both men and women, and among shorter participants (⟨150 cm in men and ⟨140 cm in women) compared to taller participants. Cox regression model analysis confirmed that younger age, BMI ⟩19, and height ⟩150 cm in men and ⟩140 cm in women contributed to a significantly longer life. On the other hand, favorable socio-economic factors such as having a career did not contribute to longer life in our study population directory.
Conclusion: This study showed that younger age, BMI ⟩19, and height ⟩150cm in men and ⟩140cm in women contributed to longer life among elderly individuals residing in an urban area.
