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Performance-based assessments and demand for personal care in older Japanese people: a cross-sectional study.

Authors :
Shimada H
Suzuki T
Suzukawa M
Makizako H
Doi T
Yoshida D
Tsutsumimoto K
Anan Y
Uemura K
Ito T
Lee S
Park H
Source :
BMJ open [BMJ Open] 2013 Apr 10; Vol. 3 (4). Date of Electronic Publication: 2013 Apr 10 (Print Publication: 2013).
Publication Year :
2013

Abstract

Objectives: To identify appropriate clinical tests for determining the demand for personal care in older Japanese people.<br />Design: Cross-sectional observation study.<br />Setting: Obu Study of Health Promotion for the Elderly (Obu, Aichi) and Tsukui Ordered Useful Care for Health (241 day-care centres) cohorts in Japan.<br />Participants: A total of 10 351 individuals aged 65 years or older (6791 with personal care and 3560 without personal care) participated in the study.<br />Measures: Physical performance tests included grip strength, the chair stand test, walking speed at a comfortable pace, and the timed up-and-go test. Personal care was defined as participants who had been certified in the national social long-term care insurance in Japan.<br />Results: Individuals who received personal care showed a significantly poorer performance than those without personal care for all physical performance tests (p<0.001). Gait speed was the most useful of the physical performance tests to determine the demand for personal care (receiver operating characteristic curve statistics: men, 0.92; women, 0.94; sensitivity: men, 86; women, 90; specificity: men, 85; women, 85). After adjustment for age, sex, cognitive impairment and other physical tests, all physical performance tests were individually associated with the demand for personal care. A slow gait speed (<1 m/s) was more strongly correlated with the demand for personal care than other performance measures (gait speed OR: 5.9; 95% CI: 5.0 to 6.9).<br />Conclusions: Clinical tests of physical performance are associated with the demand for personal care in older people. Preventive strategies to maintain physical independence may be required in older adults who show a gait speed slower than 1 m/s. Further research is necessary to confirm these preliminary results.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
2044-6055
Volume :
3
Issue :
4
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
BMJ open
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
23578683
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2012-002424