Association of Indoor Environment with the Intention to Enter Nursing Homes among Older Adults with Functional Limitations in Japan.

OBJECTIVES

The indoor environment refers to the conditions within a building, including thermal comfort, air quality, lighting, and noise levels. However, the association between the indoor environment and the intention to enter nursing homes among older adults with functional limitations remains unclear. Therefore, this study examined the association of indoor environmental factors with intention to enter nursing homes within this population.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study-Home Care 2022.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

This study included 3202 adults aged ≥65 years, certified under the Japanese long-term care insurance system, and living at home.

METHODS

Intention to enter nursing homes was assessed by asking the participants if they were considering entering a nursing home. The indoor environment was assessed using the Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency Housing Health Checklist, which includes 5 items: cooling, heating, acoustic, odor, and lighting environments. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between these 5 items and consideration of nursing home admissions.

RESULTS

Approximately 43.0% of participants had considered nursing home admission. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, economic status, health, and long-term care-related factors, the overall indoor environment score, which includes 5 items, was negatively related to nursing home admission.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

The results of this study revealed that better indoor environments in terms of cooling, heating, acoustics, odor, and lighting could potentially delay nursing home admission. Integrating the assessments of these indoor environmental factors into policy frameworks may enhance the effectiveness of long-term care strategies and promote aging.