Health Behaviors and Self-Reported Oral Health among Centenarians in Nanjing, China: A Cross-Sectional Study

Xin Xu, Yuan Zhao, Danan Gu, Yaolin Pei and Bei Wu
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Xin Xu: Population Research Institute, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210042, China
Yuan Zhao: Population Research Institute, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210042, China
Danan Gu: Independent Researcher, New York, NY 10010, USA
Yaolin Pei: Rory Meyers College of Nursing, New York University, New York, NY 10010, USA
Bei Wu: Rory Meyers College of Nursing, New York University, New York, NY 10010, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 14, 1-13

Abstract: The role of health behaviors in oral health conditions in individuals of extremely old age remains understudied. This study included 185 participants aged 100 years or older from the Nanjing Centenarians Study (NCS) to examine the associations between health behaviors and oral health and investigate the potential moderating role of education and living arrangements in such relationships. The oral health status as an outcome included the self-reported oral health status and edentulous status. Health behavior variables included smoking, eating fruits, eating vegetables, participating in leisure activities, and practicing oral hygiene behaviors. Sociodemographic characteristics and health status were considered as confounders. Descriptive statistics, ordinal regression, and logistic regression models were used to address the research questions. Results showed that better oral health was reported by centenarians who were non-smokers, participated in more leisure activities, and practiced higher frequency of oral hygiene behaviors. Those who ate fruits daily and practiced more frequently oral hygiene behaviors were more likely to be dentate. The positive association of oral hygiene behaviors was stronger for centenarians who were formally educated and co-resided with family members. The results suggest that effective interventions should consider health behaviors and living arrangements in this growing population to improve their oral health status.

Keywords: self-reported oral health; health behaviors; education; living arrangements; Chinese centenarians (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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