Summary: The desire of older adults to live to an advanced aged was significantly reduced by hypothetical adverse life events, such as the prospects of developing dementia or chronic pain conditions.
Source: Columbia University
A new study sheds light on how the specter of dementia and chronic pain reduce people’s desire to live into older ages.
Among Norwegians 60 years of age and older the desire to live into advanced ages was significantly reduced by hypothetical adverse life scenarios with the strongest effect caused by dementia and chronic pain, according to research conducted at the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center based at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.
The paper is among the first to study Preferred Life Expectancy (PLE) based on hypothetical health and living conditions.
The findings are published in the July issue of the journal Age and Ageing.
The research team was led by Vegard Skirbekk, PhD, professor of Population and Family Health, who used data from Norway, because of its relatively high life expectancy at birth. He investigated how six adverse health and living conditions affected PLE after the age of 60 and assessed each by age, sex, education, marital status, cognitive function, self-reported loneliness and chronic pain.
The analysis included data from the population-based NORSE-Oppland County study of health and living conditions based on a representative sample of the population aged 60-69 years, 70-79 years and 80 years and older. The data collection was done in three waves in 2017, 2018 and 2019. A total of 948 individuals participated in the interviews and health examinations.
Skirbekk and colleagues asked the 825 community dwellers aged 60 and older the question, “If you could choose freely, until which age would you wish to live?” The results showed that among Norwegians over 60, the desire to live into advanced ages was significantly reduced by hypothetical adverse life scenarios, such as effects of dementia and chronic pain. Weaker negative PLE effects were found for the prospect of losing one’s spouse or being subject to poverty.
According to Skirbekk, “Dementia tops the list of conditions where people would prefer to live shorter lives – which is a particular challenge given the rapid increase in dementia in the years ahead.”
The average Preferred Life Expectancy was 91.4 years of age and there was no difference between men and women, but older participants had higher PLE than younger participants. PLE among singles was not affected by the prospect of feeling lonely. The higher educated had lower PLE for dementia and chronic pain.
“Despite the fact that rising life expectancy to a large extent occurs at later ages, where the experience of loss and disability are widespread, there had been remarkably little scientific evidence on how long individuals would like to live given the impact of such adverse life conditions,’ noted Skirbekk.
Other authors are Ellen Melby Langballe, Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Ageing and Health, Vestfold Hospital Trust, Norway; and Bjørn Heine Strand, Norwegian Institute of Public Health and Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Ageing and Health, Vestfold Hospital Trust, Norway.
Funding: The study was supported by the Research Council of Norway through its Centres of Excellence, project number 262700.
About this aging research news
Source: Columbia University
Contact: Stephanie Berger – Columbia University
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Original Research: Open access.
“Preferred life expectancy and the association with hypothetical adverse life scenarios among Norwegians aged 60+” by Vegard Skirbekk et al. Age and Ageing
Abstract
Preferred life expectancy and the association with hypothetical adverse life scenarios among Norwegians aged 60+
Background
How long older individuals prefer to live given hypothetical adverse changes in health and living conditions has been insufficiently studied.
Objectives
The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between six adverse health and living conditions and preferred life expectancy (PLE) after the age of 60 years.
Design
Cross-sectional face-to-face interviews.
Setting
Population-based sample.
Participants
825 community dwellers aged 60 years and older in Norway.
Methods
Logistic regression models were used to analyse PLE, measured with a single question: ‘If you could choose freely, until what age would you wish to live?’ The impact on PLE of several hypothetical scenarios, such as being diagnosed with dementia, spousal death, becoming a burden, poverty, loneliness and chronic pain was analysed by age, sex, education, marital status, cognitive function, self-reported loneliness and chronic pain.
Results
Average PLE was 91.4 years (95% CI 90.9, 92.0), and there was no difference between men and women, but those at older ages had higher PLE than those at younger ages. The scenarios that had the strongest negative effects on PLE were dementia, followed by chronic pain, being a burden to society, loneliness, poverty and losing one’s spouse. PLE among singles was not affected by the prospect of feeling lonely. The higher educated had lower PLE for dementia and chronic pain.
Conclusion
Among Norwegians 60+, the desire to live into advanced ages is significantly reduced by hypothetical adverse life scenarios, with the strongest effect caused by dementia and chronic pain.
