Inactive elders in Portugal . . . and other stories
BMJ 2016; 355 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i6053 (Published 16 November 2016) Cite this as: BMJ 2016;355:i6053
This article has a correction. Please see:
Activity levels in older Europeans
Using the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe database, investigators in Portugal found that their country ranked highest out of 16 for levels of inactivity in people over 54 (Age Ageing doi: 10.1093/ageing/afw165). The overall prevalence of inactivity across Europe is 12.5%, ranging from 4.9% in Sweden to 29% in Portugal. Physical inactivity was statistically significantly associated with increasing age, depression, physical limitations, poor sense of meaning in life, social support, and memory loss. Strange that inactivity should be greater in balmy Portugal than in chilly Sweden.
Ambulatory care sensitive conditions
Against a background of decreasing bed capacity, unplanned hospital admissions are seen as an increasing problem for the UK’s National Health Service. A study matching general practitioners’ practice data with hospital episode statistics finds a 55% variation in rates of acute admission …
Log in
Log in using your username and password
Log in through your institution
Subscribe from £173 *
Subscribe and get access to all BMJ articles, and much more.
* For online subscription
Access this article for 1 day for:
£38 / $45 / €42 (excludes VAT)
You can download a PDF version for your personal record.