Want to stay out of care? Quit smoking and exercise, study says

If you want to move away from the nursing home, it may be time to quit smoking and start exercising.

Older people who lead unhealthy lifestyles are twice as likely to end up in a nursing home than their active peers, according to a new study.

Smoking, physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep quality were found to be associated with increased risk of admission to a nursing home.

But perhaps surprisingly, the quality of the food was not.

Researchers looked at data from more than 127,000 Australians who participated in a large study on healthy aging between 2006 and 2009.

Smoking, physical activity, sedentary behavior and sleep quality were found to be associated with higher risk of admission to nursing homes.

Participants were divided into three risk groups based on five lifestyle factors: smoking, physical activity, sedentary position, sleep quality, and diet quality, and were followed for an average of 11 years.

A quarter (24%) of the participants fell into the lowest risk group with a score of 9 or 10 points and almost two thirds (62%) fell into the intermediate risk group with a score of 6-8 points. rice field. Cent was in the least healthy group, scoring less than 5 points.

A team of Australian researchers found that people over 60 who ate poorly and spent more time on the couch were 43% more likely to end up in a nursing home compared to the healthiest retirees. discovered.

People with moderately healthy lifestyles were 12% more likely than the healthiest older adults to need care in a nursing home.

We then ranked the participants’ lifestyles from 1 to 10. 1 represents the unhealthiest lifestyle and 10 represents the healthiest lifestyle.

The risk of being admitted to a nursing home increased by 19% for each unit decrease in healthy lifestyle score.

Those with the lowest scores were found to be twice as risky as those with the highest scores.

This risk was higher among the least healthy 60- to 64-year-olds (2.15-fold) compared to the least-healthy 65- to 74-year-olds (61%) and 75- to 84-year-olds (36% increased risk). .

Smokers are 55% more likely than nonsmokers to need care, according to findings presented at the International Conference on Obesity in Melbourne, Australia.

The paper’s lead author, Dr Alice Gibson, from the University of Sydney, said: “Effective strategies to prevent or delay the entry of older people into nursing homes will help society better care for its growing elderly population. It will help you to

“Our study highlights the potential for interventions that promote healthy lifestyles to prevent or delay nursing home admission for individuals at risk of aging.

“This could be a powerful motivator for many to adopt or maintain a healthier lifestyle.”

What does a balanced diet look like?

According to the NHS, the diet should be based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains.

• Eat five or more servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables each day.All fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruits and vegetables count

• A staple of potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains

• 30 grams of fiber per day: This is the equivalent of eating 5 servings of fruit and vegetables, 2 whole grain cereal biscuits, 2 whole grain breads, and a large baked potato with the skin on.

• Provide dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soy drinks) and choose low-fat and low-sugar options.

• Eat legumes, legumes, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including 2 servings of fish per week, 1 of which should be oily)

• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and consume them in small portions.

• Drink 6-8 glasses of water per day

• Adults should consume less than 20g of salt and 6g of saturated fat per day for women and 30g for men.

Source: NHS Eatwell Guide