Association between Health Risk Factors and Mortality over Initial 6 Year Period in Juam Cohort / 農村醫學 地域保健

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to investigate the association between health risk factors and mortality in Juam cohort. METHODS: The subjects were 1,447 males and 1,889 females who had been followed up for 68.5 months to 1 January 2001. Whether they were alive or not was confirmed by the mortality data of the National Statistical Office. A total of 289 persons among them died during the follow-up period. The Cox's proportional hazard regression model was used for survival analysis. RESULTS: Age, type of medical insurance, self cognitive health level, habit of alcohol drinking, smoking, exercise and BMI level were included in Cox's proportional hazard model by gender. The hazard ratio of age was 1.07(95% CI 1.05-1.10) in men, 1.09(95% CI 1.06-1.12) in women. The hazard ratio of medical aid(lower socioeconomic state) was 1.43(95% CI 1.02-2.19) in women. The hazard ratios of current alcohol drinking and current smoking were respectively 1.69(95% CI 1.01-2.98), 1.52(95% CI 1.02-2.28) in women. The hazard ratio of underweight was 1.56(95% CI 1.08-2.47) in men. The hazard ratios of underweight, normoweight, overweight, and obesity were respectively 1.63(95% CI 1.02-2.67), 1.0(referent), 0.62(95% CI 0.32-1.63), 1.27(95% CI 0.65-3.06), which supported the U-shaped relationship between body mass index and mortality among the men over 65. CONCLUSIONS: The health risk factors increasing mortality were age, underweight in male, age, lower socioeconomic state, current alcohol drinking, current smoking in female. To evaluate long-term association between health risk factors and mortality, further studies need to be carried out.