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Factors associated with hospitalization risk among community living middle aged and older persons: results from the Swedish Adoption/TwinStudy of Aging (SATSA)
Jönköping University, School of Health and Welfare, HHJ, Institute of Gerontology. Jönköping University, School of Health and Welfare, HHJ. Ageing - living conditions and health.
Jönköping University, School of Health and Welfare, HHJ, Dep. of Natural Science and Biomedicine. Jönköping University, School of Health and Welfare, HHJ. Ageing - living conditions and health.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-9042-4832
Jönköping University, School of Health and Welfare, HHJ, Institute of Gerontology.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-8617-0355
Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Riverside, USA.
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2016 (English)In: Archives of gerontology and geriatrics (Print), ISSN 0167-4943, E-ISSN 1872-6976, Vol. 66, p. 102-108Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The aims of the present study were to: (1) describe and compare individual characteristics of hospitalized and not hospitalized community living persons, and (2) to determine factors that are associated with hospitalization risk over time. We conducted a prospective study with a multifactorial approach based on the population-based longitudinal Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging (SATSA). A total of 772 Swedes (mean age at baseline 69.7 years, range 46–103, 59.8% females) answered a postal questionnaire about physical and psychological health, personality and socioeconomic factors. During nine years of follow-up, information on hospitalizations and associated diagnoses were obtained from national registers. Results show that 484 persons (63%) had at least one hospital admission during the follow-up period. The most common causes of admission were cardiovascular diseases (25%) and tumors (22%). Cox proportional hazard regression models controlling for age, sex and dependency within twin pairs, showed that higher age (HR = 1.02, p < 0.001) and more support from relatives (HR = 1.09, p = 0.028) were associated with increased risk of hospitalization, while marital status (unmarried (HR = 0.75, p = 0.033) and widow/widower (HR = 0.69, p < 0.001)) and support from friends (HR = 0.93, p = 0.029) were associated with lower risk of hospitalization. Social factors were important for hospitalization risk even when medical factors were controlled for in the analyses. Number of diseases was not a risk in the final regression model. Hospitalization risk was also different for women and men and within different age groups. We believe that these results might be used in future interventions targeting health care utilization.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2016. Vol. 66, p. 102-108
Keywords [en]
Hospitalization; Prospective design; Older persons; Marital status; Social factors; Friends support
National Category
Gerontology, specialising in Medical and Health Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-29965DOI: 10.1016/j.archger.2016.05.005ISI: 000381646000015PubMedID: 27281475Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-84973131261Local ID: HHJÅldrandeISOAI: oai:DiVA.org:hj-29965DiVA, id: diva2:929752
Available from: 2016-05-19 Created: 2016-05-19 Last updated: 2020-10-02Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Should I stay or should I go – Factors associated with hospitalization risk among older persons in Sweden
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Should I stay or should I go – Factors associated with hospitalization risk among older persons in Sweden
2016 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

An increasingly older population will most likely lead to greater demands on the health care system, as older age is associated with an increased risk of having acute and chronic conditions. The number of diseases or disabilities is not the only marker of the amount of health care utilized, as persons may seek hospitalization without a disease and/or illness that requires hospital healthcare. Hospitalization may pose a severe risk to older persons, as exposure to the hospital environment may lead to increased risks of iatrogenic disorders, confusion, falls and nosocomial infections, i.e., disorders that may involve unnecessary suffering and lead to serious consequences.

Aims: The overall aim of this thesis was to describe and explore individual trajectories of cognitive development in relation to hospitalization and risk factors for hospitalization among older persons living in different accommodations in Sweden and to explore older persons' reasons for being transferred to a hospital.

Methods: The study designs were longitudinal, prospective and descriptive, and both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. Specifically, latent growth curve modelling was used to assess the association of cognitive development with hospitalization. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to analyse factors associated with hospitalization risk overtime. In addition, an explorative descriptive design was used to explore how home health care patients experienced and perceived their decision to seek hospital care.

Results: The most common reasons for hospitalization were cardiovascular diseases, which caused more than one-quarter of first hospitalizations among the persons living in ordinary housing and nursing home residents (NHRs). The persons who had been hospitalized had a lower mean level of cognitive performance in general cognition, verbal, spatial/fluid, memory and processing speed abilities compared to those who had not been hospitalized. Significantly steeper declines in general cognition, spatial/fluid and processing speed abilities were observed among the persons who had been hospitalized. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis showed that the number of diseases, number of drugs used, having experienced a fall and being assessed as malnourished according to the Mini Nutritional Assessment scale were related to an increased hospitalization risk among the NHRs. Among the older persons living in ordinary housing, the risk factors for hospitalization were related to marital status, i.e., unmarried persons and widows/widowers had a decreased hospitalization risk. In addition, among social factors, receipt of support from relatives was related to an increased hospitalization risk, while receipt of support from friends was related to a decreased risk. The number of illnesses was not associated with the hospitalization risk for older persons in any age group or for those of either sex, when controlling for other variables. The older persons who received home health care described different reasons for their decisions to seek hospital care. The underlying theme of the home health care patients’ perceptions of their transfer to a hospital involved trust in hospitals. This trust was shared by the home health care patients, their relatives and the home health care staff, according to the patients.

Conclusions: This thesis revealed that middle-aged and older persons who had been hospitalized exhibited a steeper decline in cognition. Specifically, spatial/fluid, processing speed, and general cognitive abilities were affected. The steeper decline in cognition among those who had been hospitalized remained even after controlling for comorbidities. The most common causes of hospitalization among the older persons living in ordinary housing and in nursing homes were cardiovascular diseases, tumours and falls. Not only health-related factors, such as the number of diseases, number of drugs used, and being assessed as malnourished, but also social factors and marital status were related to the hospitalization risk among the older persons living in ordinary housing and in nursing homes. Some risk factors associated with hospitalization differed not only between the men and women but also among the different age groups. The information provided in this thesis could be applied in care settings by professionals who interact with older persons before they decide to seek hospital care. To meet the needs of an older population, health care systems need to offer the proper health care at the most appropriate level, and they need to increase integration and coordination among health care delivered by different care services.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Jönköping: Jönköping University, School of Health and Welfare, 2016. p. 117
Series
Hälsohögskolans avhandlingsserie, ISSN 1654-3602 ; 70
Keywords
Older persons, hospitalization, risk factors, cognitive decline, qualitative content analyses, longitudinal, Cox regression, latent growth curve modelling
National Category
Gerontology, specialising in Medical and Health Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-29966 (URN)978-91-85835-69-0 (ISBN)
Public defence
2016-06-17, Forum Humanum, School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping, 13:00
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Supervisors
Available from: 2016-05-19 Created: 2016-05-19 Last updated: 2020-10-02Bibliographically approved

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Hallgren, JennyFransson, Eleonor I.Kåreholt, IngemarDahl Aslan, Anna K.

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