Self-rated health and social role as predictors for 6-year total mortality among a non-disabled older Japanese population

We examined whether social role and self-rated health in an older population were predictors for 6-year total mortality among a non-disabled community-dwelling older population in Saku City, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, surveyed in 1992 and 1998. A total of 8090 men and women aged 65-99 years who reported no disability in performing activities of daily living (ADL) at the time of the survey in 1992 and provided information on their survival status at follow-up 6 years later were analyzed in this study. One dependent variable was survival status in 1998 and independent variables were various factors potentially associated with total mortality, which were obtained from a questionnaire survey at the baseline. During the 6-year interval, having poor self-rated health and poor social roles were identified as significant predictors for total mortality among both men and women. This study revealed that social role and self-rated health are independent predictors for 6-year total mortality for non-disabled Japanese aged 65 years or older. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.