Trends in Health Behaviors in the Old-Old Population: Results from a National Survey

Abstract

This study aimed to examine changes in the practice of health behaviors (smoking, physical activity, and alcohol consumption) via comparing two Israeli cohorts of persons aged 75 to 94 over a 10-year period. Data collection was conducted during 1989–1992 for the first cohort (N = 1,200) and during 2000–2002 for the second (N = 421). Decreases in smoking indices (rates of current smokers, total nicotine consumption, years of smoking), increase in physical activity levels, and decreases in alcohol consumption of liquor and whiskey were found in the more recent cohort compared to the earlier one. Sex differences were found with regards to alcohol consumption and smoking. The findings indicate consistent improvements in health behaviors of smoking, physical activity, and alcohol consumption of beverages other than beer or wine in old-old Israeli persons.

Keywords:

• Health behaviors
• old-old
• smoking
• physical activity
• alcohol consumption

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Aging Study (CALAS) was funded by the U.S. National Institute on Aging (grants R01-AG05885-03 and R01-5885-06). The Israeli Multidisciplinary Aging Study (IMAS) was funded by the Israel National Institute for Health Policy (Grant A/2/1998). Funding sources had no role in study design, in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in the writing of the report, and in the decision to submit the article for publication.