Association between decrease in frequency of going out and oral function in older adults living in major urban areas

Aim To examine the association between a decrease in the frequency of going out and oral function in independent older adults living in the urban area of Tokyo. Methods The participants analyzed were 785 older adults from the “Takashimadaira Study” (344 men and 441 women, age 77.0 ± 4.6 years). This study investigated the following items: decrease in frequency of going out; basic characteristics (sex, age); physical factors, such as oral function (difficulty chewing, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth); body pain; the Japan Science and Technology Agency Index of Competence; physical activities; psychological factors, such as the Geriatric Depression Scale‐15 score; and social and environmental factors, such as the presence or absence of participation in organization activities. Results To investigate the factors associated with a decrease in frequency of going out, logistic regression analysis showed an association with age (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.03–1.13), difficulty chewing (OR 2.41, 95% CI 1.52–3.83), dry mouth (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.07–2.64), body pain (OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.14–2.78), Japan Science and Technology Agency Index of Competence scores (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.84–0.99), physical activities (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.98–1.00), Geriatric Depression Scale‐15 scores (OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.05–1.21) and organization activities (OR 1.94, 95% CI 1.22–3.07). Covariance structural analyses showed that both “difficulty chewing” and “dry mouth” significantly affected “decrease in frequency of going out.” In addition, decrease in frequency of going out was significantly affected by “ Geriatric Depression Scale‐15 scores” through oral function. Conclusions The relationship between oral function and decrease in frequency of going out was clarified, after the multifaceted factors were adjusted. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 792–797.