NYMC Faculty Publications

Index of Healthy Aging in Chinese Older Adults: China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

Journal Title

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

First Page

1303

Last Page

1310

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

July 2018

Department

Epidemiology and Community Health

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To characterize the distribution of an index of healthy aging-the Chinese Healthy Aging Index (CHAI)-in Chinese adults aged 60 and older according to sociodemographic characteristics and geographic region and to examine the association between the CHAI and mortality, disability, and functional limitation over 4 years. DESIGN: Nationally representative cohort study. SETTING: China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. PARTICIPANTS: Chinese adults aged 60 and older (N=3,740). MEASUREMENTS: Six CHAI components (systolic blood pressure, peak expiratory flow, Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status, estimated glomerular filtration rate, fasting glucose, C-reactive protein) were scored 0 (healthiest), 1, and 2 (unhealthiest) according to sex-specific tertiles or clinically relevant cut-points and summed to construct the CHAI (range 0-12). RESULTS: Mean CHAI score was 5.6; 5.7% had a score of 0 to 2 (healthiest), 23.0% a score of 3 or 4, 37.5% a score of 5 or 6, and 33.8% a score of 7 to 12 (unhealthiest). Participants who were younger, more educated, and married were much more likely to have an ideal CHAI profile (score 0-2). Age-adjusted prevalence of an ideal CHAI profile ranged from 1.7% in the south to 8.1% in the north. After multivariable adjustment, persons with a CHAI score of 3 to 12 had substantially higher odds of mortality, disability, and functional limitation than those with a score of 0 to 2. The CHAI further stratified outcomes for persons with no clinically recognizable comorbidities. CONCLUSION: Substantial variation exists in the CHAI according to sociodemographic characteristics and geographic regions. The CHAI could identify Chinese elderly adults with low risk of adverse outcomes and provide incremental value for risk prediction beyond clinically diagnosed comorbidities.

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