Research Paper Title

Unhealthy Behaviours and Disability in Older Adults: Three-City Dijon Cohort Study.

Study Question

What is the relation between unhealthy behaviours, with each behaviour examined separately and in combination and the hazard of disability?

Summary Answer

An unhealthy lifestyle (physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, smoking) was associated with a greater hazard of disability in a cohort of French older people followed for 12 years.

What is Known and What This Paper Adds

Some evidence shows that unhealthy behaviours are associated with an increased hazard of of disability on older people, but their independent contribution remains unclear. Low/intermediate physical activity, a diet poor in fruit and vegetables, and smoking (current smokers and recent quitters) were independently associated with an increased hazard of disability; people with all three unhealthy behaviours had more than a twofold increased hazard of disability compared with people without unhealthy behaviours.

Source: BMJ 2013;347:f4240.