NORA--Nordic research on ageing. Functional capacity of 75-year-old men and women in three Nordic localities.

The aim of this cross-national study was to describe and compare differences in functional capacity of 75-year old people in three Nordic urban localities. As the life-expectancy at the age of 75 differs between the Nordic countries, there is reason to look for similar differences in functional capacity, taking differences in socio-demography, lifestyle, living conditions and health into consideration. In 1989-1991, 400 75-year-old men and women were selected to represent 75-year-olds in a Danish, Finnish and Swedish city. They participated in examinations which focused on functional capacity and health, where identical questionnaires, tests, and equipment were employed. The methods employed were developed from the experience gathered during previous studies of epidemiology of ageing in Glostrup, Gothenburg, and Jyväskylä. Functional capacity is the dependent variable multifactorially related to age, health, living conditions, and life style. The data collection was performed with participation rates in the interviews of 85% in Glostrup, 83% in Gothenburg, and 92% in Jyväskylä. The participation rates in the laboratory examinations were 76%, 67% and 77%, respectively. Examples of differences in socio-demographic background, lifestyle and measures of health and performance in the three localities are given. The Nordic study on physical, psychological and social capacity of 75-year-olds was performed with sufficiently standardised methods to allow a comparison of the results. Similar comprehensive cross-sectional comparative studies of the elderly people have not been performed earlier. Local and cross-national results will be published in each field separately and in combination.