Hoshi Tanji, Takagi Chika, Bosako Yoshinori, Nakayama Naoko, Yan Suwen, Kurimori Sugako, Hasegawa Takashi, Inoue Naoko, Yamamoto Chisako, Takahashi Toshihiko, Sakurai Naoko, Fujiwara Yoshinori
Tokyo Metropolitan University Graduate School of Urban Science.
Nihon Koshu Eisei Zasshi. 2011 Jul;58(7):491-500.
The purpose of this study is to make a chronological evaluation over 6 years of physical, psychological and social health of urban elderly dwellers.
A questionnaire survey was conducted with all urban elderly dwellers of 65 years old or more in A City in September, 2001. Answers were obtained from 13,195 people (response rate of 80.2%) in the first survey. Then 3 year and 6 year follow-up surveys of 2,375 members were performed in September 2004 and 2007. Causal relationships were analyzed using a Structural Equation Model based on the Cross-Lagged Effects Variation Model.
According to this research, a chronological six year trend in ADL (Activities of Daily Living) was found for "physical factor" (" " means latent variable) as an observed variable, with a shifted from 91.0% to 82.9%. A trend for self-rated health with healthy as an observed variable of "psychological factor" was similarly apparent, shifting from 85.4% to 77.0%. "Social factor" conducted on the follow-up survey in 2007 was significantly affected by the "psychological factor" investigated in 2001 and "physical factor" in the follow-up survey in 2004, indirectly based on the Cross-Lagged Effects Variation Model. "Social factor" totals of 25% for men and 19% for women were explained by this model with high validity levels (NFI = 0.935, IFI = 0.950, RMSEA = 0.036).
It was suggested that social health was affected by psychological health directly and physical health indirectly during six years follow-up of urban elderly dwellers. Future research is needed to encompass other generations and also to improve the external validity of the results.
