Going Outdoors Daily Predicts Long-Term Functional and Health Benefits Among Ambulatory Older People

Objective: This article examines the association between frequency of going out of the house and health and functional status among older people. Method: A randomly chosen cohort of ambulatory participants born in 1920 or 1921 from the Jerusalem Longitudinal Study underwent assessments for health, functional, and psychosocial variables at ages 70 and 77. Twelve-year mortality data were collected. Results: Women went out daily less than did men. Participants going out daily at age 70 reported significantly fewer new complaints at age 77 of musculoskeletal pain, sleep problems, urinary incontinence, and decline in activities of daily living (ADLs). Logistic regression analysis indicated that not going out daily at age 70 was predictive of subsequent dependence in ADL, poor self-rated health, and urinary incontinence at age 77. Discussion: Going out daily is beneficial among independent older people, correlating with reduced functional decline and improved health measures.

[1]  J. Stessman,et al.  Working late: the impact of work after 70 on longevity, health and function , 2005, Aging clinical and experimental research.

[2]  Y. Doi,et al.  Trunk deformity is associated with a reduction in outdoor activities of daily living and life satisfaction in community-dwelling older people , 2005, Osteoporosis International.

[3]  B. Winblad,et al.  An active and socially integrated lifestyle in late life might protect against dementia , 2004, The Lancet Neurology.

[4]  L. Rubenstein,et al.  Frequency of going outdoors: a predictor of functional and psychosocial change among ambulatory frail elders living at home. , 2004, The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences.

[5]  Thomas A Glass,et al.  Social engagement and disability in a community population of older adults: the New Haven EPESE. , 2003, American journal of epidemiology.

[6]  J. Stessman,et al.  Effect of Exercise on Ease in Performing Activities of Daily Living and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living From Age 70 to 77: The Jerusalem Longitudinal Study , 2002, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

[7]  H. Allore,et al.  A program to prevent functional decline in physically frail, elderly persons who live at home. , 2002, The New England journal of medicine.

[8]  Laura Fratiglioni,et al.  Late-life engagement in social and leisure activities is associated with a decreased risk of dementia: a longitudinal study from the Kungsholmen project. , 2002, American journal of epidemiology.

[9]  A. Kono,et al.  Characteristics of housebound elderly by mobility level in Japan. , 2001, Nursing & health sciences.

[10]  E B Fisher,et al.  Relationship of activity and social support to the functional health of older adults. , 2000, The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences.

[11]  J. Stessman,et al.  The Effects of Physical Activity on Mortality in the Jerusalem 70‐Year‐Olds Longitudinal Study , 2000, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

[12]  L. Berkman,et al.  Population based study of social and productive activities as predictors of survival among elderly Americans , 1999, BMJ.

[13]  L. Berkman,et al.  Social Disengagement and Incident Cognitive Decline in Community-Dwelling Elderly Persons , 1999, Annals of Internal Medicine.

[14]  H. Cohen,et al.  Does religious attendance prolong survival? A six-year follow-up study of 3,968 older adults. , 1999, The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences.

[15]  J. House,et al.  Volunteering and mortality among older adults: findings from a national sample. , 1999, The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences.

[16]  Kenneth Rockwood,et al.  A brief clinical instrument to classify frailty in elderly people , 1999, The Lancet.

[17]  R. Hays,et al.  A randomized trial of office-based screening for common problems in older persons. , 1997, The American journal of medicine.

[18]  J. Maino.  Visual deficits and mobility. Evaluation and management. , 1996, Clinics in geriatric medicine.

[19]  M. Ganguli,et al.  Characteristics of Rural Homebound Older Adults: A Community‐Based Study , 1996, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

[20]  J. Stessman,et al.  The Jerusalem seventy year olds longitudinal study , 1995, European Journal of Epidemiology.

[21]  J. Stessman,et al.  The Jerusalem seventy year olds longitudinal study. II: Background results from the initial home interview. , 1995, European journal of epidemiology.

[22]  D. Commenges,et al.  Social and Leisure Activities and Risk of Dementia: A Prospective Longitudinal Study , 1995, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

[23]  J. Lindesay,et al.  Housebound elderly people: Definition, prevalence and characteristics , 1993 .

[24]  M. Bruce,et al.  Psychiatric Status among the Homebound Elderly: An Epidemiologic Perspective , 1992, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

[25]  L. Branch,et al.  An operational definition of the homebound. , 1992, Health services research.

[26]  Abba M. Krieger,et al.  Collapsed two-way contingency tables and the chi-square reduction principle , 1989 .

[27]  L. Derogatis,et al.  The Brief Symptom Inventory: an introductory report , 1983, Psychological Medicine.

[28]  S. Folstein,et al.  “Mini-mental state”: A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician , 1975 .

[29]  M. Lawton,et al.  Assessment of older people: self-maintaining and instrumental activities of daily living. , 1969, The Gerontologist.

[30]  S. Katz,et al.  STUDIES OF ILLNESS IN THE AGED. THE INDEX OF ADL: A STANDARDIZED MEASURE OF BIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FUNCTION. , 1963, JAMA.

[31]  C. Mendes,et al.  SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT AND DISABILITY IN A COMMUNITY POPULATION OF OLDER ADULTS , 2003 .

[32]  J. Stessman,et al.  The Jerusalem seventy-year-old longitudinal study. I: Description of the initial cross-sectional survey. , 1995, European journal of epidemiology.

[33]  C. Mackenzie,et al.  A new method of classifying prognostic comorbidity in longitudinal studies: development and validation. , 1987, Journal of chronic diseases.

[34]  M P Lawton,et al.  A research and service oriented multilevel assessment instrument. , 1982, Journal of gerontology.