Association of Behavioral Risk Factors for Chronic Diseases With Physical and Mental Health in European Adults Aged 50 Years or Older, 2004–2005
ORIGINAL RESEARCH — Volume 12 — July 29, 2015
PEER REVIEWED
Figure 1. Weighted mean number of physical and mental health status components among participants with different behavioral risk factors in 11 European countries, Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, 2004–2005. Comparisons were examined using analysis of covariance (according to the complex sample design procedure), with sex, age (y), education (y), living with a partner or spouse, self-rated health, income, and retirement status as covariates. Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; (I)ADL, activities and instrumental activities of daily living; Euro-D score, European Depression Scale Score.
| Country | Chronic Disease, Mean (95% CI) | Disease Symptoms, Mean (95% CI) | (I)ADL Limitations, Mean (95% CI) | Euro-D Score, Mean (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overweight or obese | ||||
| Austria | 1.24 (1.16–1.31) | 1.47 (1.38–1.56) | 0.58 (0.49–0.68) | 1.95 (1.83–2.07) |
| Switzerland | 1.31 (1.19–1.42) | 1.46 (1.34–1.58) | 0.46 (0.36–0.56) | 2.25 (2.06–2.44) |
| Netherlands | 1.34 (1.27–1.41) | 1.46 (1.37–1.54) | 0.54 (0.46–0.63) | 2.24 (2.12–2.37) |
| Germany | 1.35 (1.27–1.43) | 1.56 (1.48–1.65) | 0.45 (0.36–0.54) | 2.06 (1.94–2.18) |
| Sweden | 1.35 (1.28–1.42) | 1.84 (1.75 –1.93) | 0.49 (0.41 –0.56) | 2.13 (2.01 –2.24) |
| Spain | 1.43 (1.35–1.51) | 1.73 (1.63 –1.84) | 0.51 (0.41 –0.61) | 2.84 (2.68 –3.00) |
| Greece | 1.47 (1.41–1.53) | 1.54 (1.46–1.62) | 0.48 (0.41–0.55) | 2.30 (2.19–2.41) |
| Italy | 1.50 (1.42–1.59) | 1.56 (1.45–1.66) | 0.70 (0.55–0.85) | 2.74 (2.54–2.94) |
| France | 1.60 (1.53–1.68) | 1.82 (1.72–1.91) | 0.62 (0.54–0.70) | 2.85 (2.72–2.97) |
| Denmark | 1.63 (1.52–1.73) | 1.83 (1.71–1.95) | 0.57 (0.48–0.66) | 2.18 (2.02–2.33) |
| Belgium | 1.69 (1.63–1.76) | 1.81 (1.74–1.88) | 0.71 (0.63–0.79) | 2.50 (2.40–2.59) |
| Smoking habits | ||||
| Sweden | 0.84 (0.72–0.96) | 1.33 (1.19–1.46) | 0.32 (0.21–0.43) | 1.93 (1.72–2.13) |
| Germany | 0.86 (0.76–0.96) | 1.17 (1.03–1.31) | 0.23 (0.13–0.33) | 1.82 (1.60–2.04) |
| Austria | 0.87 (0.74–1.00) | 1.10 (0.94–1.26) | 0.36 (0.22–0.51) | 1.80 (1.57–2.04) |
| Netherlands | 0.94 (0.84–1.04) | 1.14 (1.01–1.26) | 0.31 (0.23–0.40) | 2.34 (2.13–2.54) |
| Switzerland | 0.97 (0.79–1.14) | 1.05 (0.88–1.23) | 0.25 (0.13–0.37) | 2.27 (1.96–2.58) |
| Greece | 1.05 (0.96–1.14) | 1.23 (1.12–1.33) | 0.24 (0.17–0.31) | 2.20 (2.03–2.38) |
| Denmark | 1.13 (1.00–1.25) | 1.48 (1.32–1.64) | 0.50 (0.36–0.63) | 2.00 (1.81–2.20) |
| Spain | 1.13 (0.99–1.27) | 1.40 (1.22–1.58) | 0.31 (0.18–0.45) | 2.42 (2.14–2.71) |
| Italy | 1.15 (1.01–1.30) | 1.35 (1.16–1.53) | 0.76 (0.44–1.08) | 2.69 (2.35–3.03) |
| France | 1.16 (1.02–1.30) | 1.39 (1.24–1.54) | 0.30 (0.21–0.40) | 2.81 (2.55–3.06) |
| Belgium | 1.35 (1.24–1.46) | 1.57 (1.45–1.70) | 0.54 (0.41–0.68) | 2.58 (2.38–2.79) |
| Physical inactivity | ||||
| Switzerland | 1.20 (1.11–1.29) | 1.44 (1.33–1.54) | 0.60 (0.50–0.69) | 2.37 (2.20–2.54) |
| Austria | 1.23 (1.16–1.30) | 1.54 (1.46–1.62) | 0.74 (0.65–0.83) | 2.29 (2.17–2.41) |
| Germany | 1.30 (1.23–1.37) | 1.60 (1.51–1.69) | 0.67 (0.56–0.78) | 2.21 (2.08–2.33) |
| Netherlands | 1.32 (1.26–1.39) | 1.58 (1.49–1.68) | 0.75 (0.64–0.85) | 2.52 (2.39–2.64) |
| Sweden | 1.33 (1.26–1.40) | 1.91 (1.81–2.00) | 0.73 (0.63–0.83) | 2.35 (2.24–2.46) |
| Spain | 1.44 (1.36–1.52) | 1.82 (1.71–1.92) | 0.68 (0.57–0.79) | 3.11 (2.96–3.27) |
| Greece | 1.49 (1.43–1.55) | 1.58 (1.50–1.66) | 0.59 (0.52–0.66) | 2.41 (2.30–2.52) |
| Italy | 1.52 (1.44–1.60) | 1.64 (1.54–1.74) | 0.75 (0.60–0.90) | 2.79 (2.60–2.98) |
| France | 1.54 (1.47–1.60) | 1.84 (1.76–1.92) | 0.77 (0.69–0.86) | 3.08 (2.97–3.20) |
| Denmark | 1.54 (1.44–1.65) | 1.89 (1.76–2.02) | 0.93 (0.79–1.07) | 2.21 (2.05–2.36) |
| Belgium | 1.71 (1.65–1.77) | 1.94 (1.87–2.00) | 0.88 (0.80–0.96) | 2.76 (2.67–2.85) |
| Risky alcohol consumption | ||||
| Austria | 0.79 (0.59–0.99) | 0.96 (0.74–1.18) | 0.16 (0.04–0.29) | 1.59 (1.19–1.98) |
| Germany | 0.94 (0.61–1.27) | 0.97 (0.59–1.35) | 0.42 (0.08–0.76) | 2.27 (1.63–2.91) |
| Greece | 0.97 (0.69–1.25) | 1.02 (0.66–1.38) | 0.29 (0.01–0.57) | 1.86 (1.38–2.34) |
| Netherlands | 0.98 (0.76–1.20) | 1.03 (0.80–1.26) | 0.26 (0.11–0.41) | 1.67 (1.28–2.06) |
| Spain | 1.00 (0.76–1.24) | 1.18 (0.88–1.48) | 0.13 (0.02–0.25) | 2.32 (1.85–2.78) |
| Italy | 1.02 (0.74–1.31) | 1.03 (0.74–1.31) | 0.62 (0.08–1.16) | 3.22 (2.43–4.01) |
| Switzerland | 1.06 (0.69–1.44) | 0.84 (0.53–1.16) | 0.20 (0.06–0.34) | 1.85 (1.44–2.26) |
| France | 1.20 (1.03–1.37) | 1.22 (1.02–1.42) | 0.33 (0.16–0.49) | 2.58 (2.26–2.91) |
| Sweden | 1.21 (0.85–1.58) | 1.02 (0.53–1.51) | 0.23 (0.08–0.55) | 1.88 (1.41–2.36) |
| Denmark | 1.30 (1.00–1.60) | 1.39 (1.06–1.71) | 0.62 (0.24–1.01) | 1.62 (1.17–2.06) |
| Belgium | 1.31 (1.13–1.50) | 1.29 (1.08–1.50) | 0.32 (0.16–0.48) | 2.12 (1.80–2.44) |
Figure 2. Prevalence of chronic diseases, disease symptoms, and limitations of activities and instrumental activities of daily living according to clustering score of behavioral risk factors. Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, 2004–2005. Abbreviation: (I)ADL, limitations of activities and instrumental activities of daily living.
| Characteristic | No. of Behavioral Risk Factors | |
|---|---|---|
| ≥2, % (95% Confidence Interval) | ≤1, % (95% Confidence Interval) | |
| Chronic diseases | ||
| Stroke | 4.0 (3.5–4.6) | 2.9 (2.4–3.5) |
| Asthma | 4.5 (3.9–5.1) | 3.9 (3.4–4.5) |
| Cancer | 5.4 (4.7–6.0) | 5.5 (4.9–6.2) |
| Stomach or duodenal ulcer, peptic ulcer | 6.2 (5.6–6.9) | 4.9 (4.3–5.6) |
| Chronic lung disease | 6.6 (6.0–7.4) | 4.6 (4.0–5.3) |
| Osteoporosis | 8.1 (7.3–8.9) | 8.1 (7.3–9.0) |
| Heart attack | 13.2 (12.3–14.1) | 10.5 (9.6–11.5) |
| Diabetes or high blood glucose | 13.6 (12.6–14.6) | 8.0 (7.2–8.9) |
| High blood cholesterol | 21.8 (20.7–23.0) | 18.5 (17.4–19.7) |
| Arthritis | 24.2 (23.0–25.4) | 19.2 (18.0–20.4) |
| High blood pressure | 37.8 (36.4–39.1) | 28.2 (26.9–29.6) |
| Disease symptoms | ||
| Falling | 4.4 (3.9–5.0) | 3.6 (3.1–4.2) |
| Incontinence | 5.5 (5.0–6.2) | 4.4 (3.9–5.1) |
| Persistent cough | 6.7 (6.0–7.4) | 4.5 (3.9–5.2) |
| Heart trouble | 8.6 (7.9–9.5) | 7.0 (6.2–7.9) |
| Dizziness, faints or blackouts | 10.1 (9.3–10.9) | 8.5 (7.7–9.5) |
| Fear of falling | 10.4 (9.6–11.3) | 7.5 (9.7–8.4) |
| Stomach or intestine problems | 14.3 (13.3–15.3) | 14.4 (13.4–15.5) |
| Breathlessness | 14.3 (13.4–15.3) | 8.7 (7.9–9.6) |
| Swollen legs | 17.7 (16.7–18.8) | 10.6 (9.6–11.6) |
| Sleeping problems | 21.0 (19.9–22.2) | 18.2 (17.1–19.4) |
| Pain in back, knees, hips, or other joint | 55.3 (54.0–56.7) | 48.3 (46.8–49.8) |
| Limitations of activities and instrumental activities of daily living | ||
| Eating, cutting up food | 1.4 (1.1–1.7) | 1.4 (1.1–1.9) |
| Making telephone calls | 1.8 (1.5–2.2) | 2.1 (1.6–2.6) |
| Taking medications | 1.9 (1.5–2.3) | 1.7 (1.3–2.2) |
| Walking across a room | 1.9 (1.6–2.4) | 1.8 (1.4–2.4) |
| Using the toilet, including getting up or down | 2.2 (1.8–2.6) | 1.6 (1.2–2.1) |
| Preparing a hot meal | 3.3 (2.8–3.9) | 3.2 (2.6–3.8) |
| Getting in or out of bed | 3.4 (2.9–4.0) | 2.6 (2.1–3.1) |
| Managing money | 4.2 (3.7–4.9) | 3.1 (2.6–3.7) |
| Bathing or showering | 6.5 (5.8–7.3) | 4.5 (3.9–5.3) |
| Shopping for groceries | 6.7 (6.0–7.5) | 5.1 (4.4–5.9) |
| Dressing, including shoes and socks | 8.2 (7.5–9.0) | 5.3 (4.6–6.1) |
| Using a map in a strange place | 9.6 (8.8–10.5) | 7.5 (6.7–8.4) |
| Doing work around the house or garden | 10.4 (9.6–11.3) | 7.2 (6.4–8.1) |
The opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors’ affiliated institutions.
Page last reviewed: July 29, 2015