Health Status of Centenarians: A Case Study of Khon Kaen Province

Abstract

This descriptive study aimed to describe the health status of centenarians, persons who were one hundred years old or older. The principle of comprehensive geriatric assessment was used as a conceptual framework. A sample of 34 older persons was recruited from a list of population census of people aged 100 years or older and living in Khonkaen Province, the northeast region of Thailand. The data were collected using questionnaires about personal and health data, interviews, and physical examination, and then, were analysed using descriptive statistics. The results revealed that the participants’ age ranged from 100 to 108 years with a mean of 102 years. From the interview, most participants were female and had acute illnesses in the past month, whereas one-third had chronic illnesses. They had some extent of cognitive impairment
assessed by a cognitive test, but could still communicate understandably. Almost half of the participants thought that their overall health was not healthy, but they perceived that they had better health conditions than others at the same age and gender. Moreover, most of them reported that their well-being was at the moderate to high level; they could perform basic and extended activities of daily living, except for the use of public transportation. From the physical examination, almost half of the participants had a low body mass index. Most of them had a normal range of waist circumference, respiratory rate, and heart rate, but had high blood pressure. All participants had hand grip strength at a very low level. The results of this study about health status among centenarians could be used as fundamental information for healthcare providers to further develop the appropriate health promotion program specifically for the group of long-lived population.