1. Independent Functioning in Nonagenarians Living in a Rural Italian Community: The Mugello Study
- Author
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Cecchi, F., Pancani, S., Molino-Lova, R., Castagnoli, C., Paperini, A., Boni, R., Gori, G., Macchi, C, Vannetti, F, Pasquini, G, Sofi, F, Gori, Am, Turcan, N, Valecchi, D, Frandi, R, Razzolini, L, Fabbri, V, Bonaccorsi, G, Lorini, C, Rasoini, R, Alderighi, C, and Hocheitner, I
- Subjects
Male ,Rural Population ,Gerontology ,Aging ,Health Status ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Population ,Physical activity ,Body Mass Index ,Disability Evaluation ,03 medical and health sciences ,Cognition ,0302 clinical medicine ,Functionally independent ,Activities of Daily Living ,Prevalence ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,education ,Exercise ,Geriatric Assessment ,media_common ,Aged, 80 and over ,education.field_of_study ,Depression ,Oldest old ,Independence ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,Logistic Models ,Geography ,Italy ,Female ,disability ,independence ,nonagenarians ,oldest old ,physical activity ,Independent Living ,Geriatrics and Gerontology ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery - Abstract
Nonagenarians are a fast-growing population deserving specific research. We explored the prevalence and characteristics of functionally independent nonagenarians from a rural community-dwelling Italian population. Data were collected in the Mugello Study; 475 persons aged ≥90 years (median age, 92) underwent a home-based clinical and functional assessment, including psychosocial, clinical, functional, and lifestyle history and status and physical and instrumental examinations. Sixty-eight (15%) persons reported no need for help in basic and instrumental daily living activities. Among variables significantly associated with independent functionality after age- and gender-adjusted cross-sectional analysis, lower body mass index (BMI; p = .034) and depressive symptoms ( p = .028), higher current physical activity ( p < .001), better cognitive status ( p = .033), and lower medication intake ( p = .048) were associated with reporting no disability in the logistic regression analysis. Disability was mainly associated with current lifestyle-related potentially modifiable factors. Thus, lifestyle-oriented multidimensional interventions, should be developed and evaluated for their potential effects on functionality, even in the oldest old.
- Published
- 2019