Mortality in elderly men and women in a Swedish municipality

Aim: to analyse the relationship between age, self-rated global health, morbidity, mobility, life satisfaction, marital status, social network and 6-year mortality in elderly men and women living at home. Method: the study area was a municipality in mid-eastern Sweden with a population of about 21 000. Data from interviews with non-institutionalized people aged 75 years and older in 1986 (n = 421) were linked to an individual-based research registry of prescription drug purchases. The elderly subjects were followed for 6 years. Information on mortality was obtained from the national cause of death register. A combined measure of morbidity captured both self-reported symptoms/diseases and prescription drugs. Results: mortality was higher in men than women (P< 0.001). Multivariate analysis was performed using logistic regression analysis. Among elderly men, morbidity-related factors-self-rated global health, heart problems and diabetes mellitus, for example-were the most important predictors of mortality. Among women, the predictors were spread over more domains (morbidity, mobility, social network).