Reynolds Sandra L, Hagedorn Aaron, Yeom Jihye, Saito Yasuhiko, Yokoyama Eise, Crimmins Eileen M
School of Aging Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA.
J Epidemiol. 2008;18(6):280-90. doi: 10.2188/jea.je2008012. Epub 2008 Dec 4.
Despite similar standards of living and health care systems for older persons, there are marked differences in the relative health of the elderly populations in the United States (US) and Japan. We explore the association of overweight and obesity with these health disparities.
Data on older adults from the US National Health Interview Survey (1994) and the Longitudinal Study of Aging II (1994) were compared to similar data from the 1999-2001 Nihon University Japanese Longitudinal Study of Aging. Regression analyses for the 2 countries were conducted to examine the correlates of being overweight and obese, and the relationships of overweight and obesity with activities of daily living functioning, heart disease, arthritis, and diabetes.
The prevalence of overweight and obesity is higher in the US than in Japan, as is the prevalence of heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and functioning problems. Education level and marital status are predictors of overweight for older Americans but not for older Japanese people. Health behaviors affect weight in all groups. The prevalence of functioning problems and disease are more likely to be associated with being overweight in US men and women than in Japanese women, and are not associated with being overweight in Japanese men.
Despite similar standards of living and health care systems for older persons, the conditions associated with poor health differ in the US and Japan. Being overweight or obese appears to be related to more functioning problems and arthritis in the US than in Japan.
尽管美国和日本老年人的生活水平和医疗保健系统标准相似，但两国老年人口的相对健康状况存在显著差异。我们探讨超重和肥胖与这些健康差异之间的关联。
将美国国家健康访谈调查（1994年）和老龄化纵向研究II（1994年）中老年人的数据与1999 - 2001年日本大学日本老龄化纵向研究的类似数据进行比较。对这两个国家进行回归分析，以检查超重和肥胖的相关因素，以及超重和肥胖与日常生活功能、心脏病、关节炎和糖尿病之间的关系。
美国超重和肥胖的患病率高于日本，心脏病、糖尿病、关节炎和功能问题的患病率也是如此。教育水平和婚姻状况是美国老年人超重的预测因素，但不是日本老年人超重的预测因素。健康行为对所有群体的体重都有影响。与日本女性相比，美国男性和女性的功能问题和疾病患病率更可能与超重有关，而与日本男性的超重无关。
尽管美国和日本老年人的生活水平和医疗保健系统标准相似，但两国与健康状况不佳相关的情况有所不同。在美国，超重或肥胖似乎比在日本与更多的功能问题和关节炎有关。
