TY - JOUR
T1 - Independent Functioning in Nonagenarians Living in a Rural Italian Community
T2 - The Mugello Study
AU - The Mugello Study Working Group
AU - Cecchi, F.
AU - Pancani, S.
AU - Molino-Lova, R.
AU - Castagnoli, C.
AU - Paperini, A.
AU - Boni, R.
AU - Gori, G.
AU - Macchi, C.
PY - 2019/12/1
Y1 - 2019/12/1
N2 - Nonagenarians are a fast-growing population deserving specific research. We explored the prevalence and characteristics of functionally independent nonagenarians from a rural community-dwelling Italian population. Data were collected in the Mugello Study; 475 persons aged ≥90 years (median age, 92) underwent a home-based clinical and functional assessment, including psychosocial, clinical, functional, and lifestyle history and status and physical and instrumental examinations. Sixty-eight (15%) persons reported no need for help in basic and instrumental daily living activities. Among variables significantly associated with independent functionality after age- and gender-adjusted cross-sectional analysis, lower body mass index (BMI; p =.034) and depressive symptoms (p =.028), higher current physical activity (p <.001), better cognitive status (p =.033), and lower medication intake (p =.048) were associated with reporting no disability in the logistic regression analysis. Disability was mainly associated with current lifestyle-related potentially modifiable factors. Thus, lifestyle-oriented multidimensional interventions, should be developed and evaluated for their potential effects on functionality, even in the oldest old.
AB - Nonagenarians are a fast-growing population deserving specific research. We explored the prevalence and characteristics of functionally independent nonagenarians from a rural community-dwelling Italian population. Data were collected in the Mugello Study; 475 persons aged ≥90 years (median age, 92) underwent a home-based clinical and functional assessment, including psychosocial, clinical, functional, and lifestyle history and status and physical and instrumental examinations. Sixty-eight (15%) persons reported no need for help in basic and instrumental daily living activities. Among variables significantly associated with independent functionality after age- and gender-adjusted cross-sectional analysis, lower body mass index (BMI; p =.034) and depressive symptoms (p =.028), higher current physical activity (p <.001), better cognitive status (p =.033), and lower medication intake (p =.048) were associated with reporting no disability in the logistic regression analysis. Disability was mainly associated with current lifestyle-related potentially modifiable factors. Thus, lifestyle-oriented multidimensional interventions, should be developed and evaluated for their potential effects on functionality, even in the oldest old.
KW - disability
KW - independence
KW - nonagenarians
KW - oldest old
KW - physical activity
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U2 - 10.1177/0733464819858575
DO - 10.1177/0733464819858575
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85068253608
JO - Journal of Applied Gerontology
JF - Journal of Applied Gerontology
SN - 0733-4648
ER -