Australian researchers found lifestyle risks can lead to earlier nursing home admission.
The study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, followed 127,108 people younger than 60 between 2006 and 2009. Participants were sorted into three risk groups based on smoking status, physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep duration and diet quality.
Of participants, 25 percent were in the low-risk lifestyle group, 62 percent in the medium-risk group and 14 percent in the high-risk group. During the 11.3-year follow-up period, 18 percent of participants were admitted into nursing homes.
Here are three findings:
- Admission to nursing homes was 43 percent higher for the high-risk group compared to the low-risk group.
- The medium-risk group was 12 percent higher than the low-risk group.
- People ages 60 to 64 in the high-risk group had the greatest risk of nursing home admission
Interventions focused on lifestyle modification could prevent or delay nursing home admissions, the authors wrote.