Temporal trends in impairments of physical function among older adults during 2001–16 in Sweden: towards a healthier ageing

Abstract

Backgrounda trend towards decline in disability has been reported in older adults, but less is known about corresponding temporal trends in measured physical functions.Objectiveto verify these trends during 2001–16 in an older Swedish population.Methodsfunctional status was assessed at three occasions: 2001–04 (n = 2,266), 2007–10 (n = 2,033) and 2013–16 (n = 1,476), using objectively measured balance, chair stands and walking speed. Point prevalence was calculated and trajectories of change in impairment/vital status were assessed and were sex-adjusted and age-stratified: 66; 72; 78; 81 and 84; 87 and 90.Resultspoint prevalence of impairment was significantly lower at the 2013–16 assessment than the 2001–04 in chair stand amongst age cohorts 78–90 years, and in walking speed amongst age cohorts 72–84 years (P < 0.05), but not significantly different for balance. The prevalence remained stable between 2001–04 and 2007–10, while the decrease in chair stands and walking speed primarily occurred between 2007–10 and 2013–16. Among persons unimpaired in 2007–10, the proportion of persons who remained unimpaired in 2013–16 tended to be higher, and both the proportion of persons who became impaired and the proportion of persons who died within 6 years tended to be lower, relative to corresponding proportions for persons unimpaired in 2001–04. Overall, there were no corresponding changes for those starting with impairment.Conclusionsour results suggest a trend towards less functional impairment in older adults in recent years. The improvements appear to be driven by improved prognosis amongst those without impairments rather than substantial changes in prognosis for those with impairments.

Longitudinal Sex‐Specific Physical Function Trends by Age, Race/Ethnicity, and Weight Status

“…To our knowledge, the present study is the first to examine longitudinal trends and the annual rate of change in physical function, and the prevalence of physical function status by sex, age, race/ethnicity, and weight status, among adults aged 65 years and older using an objective measure of physical function. Similar to previous studies, [15][16][17] this study found that physical function deteriorated steadily with increasing age in both males and females. However, direct comparison of results of previous studies and the present study is challenging as most prior studies were conducted outside the United States, [15][16][17] utilized a relatively homogeneous sample with respect to race/ethnicity (95% whites), 16 or employed different physical function measures.…”

“…[15][16][17] One study, conducted in Sweden, examined balance, chair stands, and walking speed trends by age using data from three different time points. 15 Two other studies examined the longitudinal association of physical function with physical activity or psychological functioning. 16,17 No studies, to our knowledge, have examined overall changes in physical function over time in a nationally representative sample of U.S. residents aged 65 years and older.…”

Trends in life expectancy: did the gap between the healthy and the ill widen or close?

“…In such studies, the focus has often been on the specific question of whether parts of the population remain disadvantaged and are left behind as life expectancy increases [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. Previous research has suggested that improvements in health in recent years have been driven by advances at the upper end of the health distribution, while other parts of the population have lagged behind [11][12][13]. Although these studies did not estimate life expectancy, their results could indicate that the increase in life expectancy has primarily been driven by the healthy part of the population and that those affected by disease experienced slower increases in life expectancy than the general population.…”

Trends in Physical and Cognitive Performance Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Switzerland

“…Research on health trends mainly focused on the ability to perform activities of daily living, as reported by older people themselves (9)(10)(11)(12), while few studies directly assessed physical and cognitive health trends using performance tests. Conflicting trends were reported regarding gait speed, grip strength, chair stands, balance, and lung function (13)(14)(15)(16). The prevalence of dementia has decreased over the last decades in the United States (17), Australia (18), and Sweden (19), but trends are less clear when considering earlier stages on the spectrum of cognitive functioning (14,20,21).…”