Analysis of the Relationship between Eating and Swallowing Function and Lifestyle of the Elderly Living in the Community-A Secondary Publication

Objectives:The relationship between eating and swallowing function,and lifestyle among community-dwelling elderly people has not been extensively studied.This study aimed to analyze the characteristics of eating and swallowing function and their association with the lifestyle among the elderly.Methods:A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted on 419 elderly people who participated in the oral function improvement project operated by the Community Comprehensive Support Center.A total of 288 valid responses(58 males,230 females,average age 73.6 years)were analyzed.The survey items included basic demographics,health status,lifestyle,and eating and swallowing functions.The chi-square(χ2)test was used to compare for a difference in the risk of dysphagia.Results:72 patients(25.0%)were judged to be at risk for dysphagia,and 216(75.0%)were judged to be not at risk for dysphagia using the revised dysphagia risk assessment scale.The mean score for oral preparatory dysphagia was the highest,while the mean score for pharyngeal dysphagia was the lowest.The group at risk of dysphagia had significant difficulty in chewing and had bad sleep quality as compared to the group that was not at risk.Conclusion:Concerning the risk of dysphagia,there is a need to maintain and improve masticatory function.In addition,improving the swallowing function of the elderly may prevent insomnia and improve sleep quality.

Dynamics of family households and elderly living arrangements in China,1990-2010

This article presents analyses on dynamics of family households and elderly living arrangements in China mainly based on the micro data of 2010,2000 and 1990 censuses.We demonstrate and discuss the trends and rural-urban differentials of largely declined household size,quickly increasing one-person and one-couple-only households,substantially increased proportions of elderly living alone or with spouse only.It is strikingly interesting that proportion of three-generation family households increased by 18.9%in rural area but decreased by 23.7%in urban areas in 2010 compared to 1990,due to rural-urban differences in demographic effects of large fertility decline and socioeconomic/attitude changes.We also present and discuss two interesting demographic phenomenon which were relatively overlooked in the literature.First,increase in number of households is much larger than population growth,due to shrinking of the household size and decomposition of larger families into smaller ones,and very much slowed-down population growth.Second,increases in numbers of elderly(especially oldest-old)who live alone or with spouse only are dramatically larger than the increase in the corresponding proportions,due to the effects of rapid population aging,while later and larger birth cohorts become old.Such trends have important implications for the analyses on the current and future market demands of the products and services,of which households are the consumption units.We recommend that the studies on home-based energy use and sustainable development should be based on analyses of family household dynamics rather than population growth.