Are the national guidelines for health behaviour appropriate for older Australians? Evidence from the Men, Women and Ageing project

Deirdre McLaughlin; Jon Adams; Osvaldo P. Almeida; Wendy Brown; Julie Byles; Annette Dobson; Leon Flicker; Graeme J. Hankey; Konrad Jamrozik; Kieran A. McCaul; Paul E. Norman; Nancy A. Pachana

doi:10.1111/j.1741-6612.2010.00498.x

Are the national guidelines for health behaviour appropriate for older Australians? Evidence from the Men, Women and Ageing project

Deirdre McLaughlin^*, Jon Adams, Osvaldo P. Almeida, Wendy Brown, Julie Byles, Annette Dobson, Leon Flicker, Graeme J. Hankey, Konrad Jamrozik, Kieran A. McCaul, Paul E. Norman, Nancy A. Pachana

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › Research › peer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Aim: To review findings from the Men, Women and Ageing (MWA) longitudinal studies and consider their implications for national health guidelines.

Methods: Guidelines for good health for older adults in the areas of body mass index (BMI), physical activity, alcohol consumption and smoking behaviours are compared with MWA findings.

Results: Findings from MWA suggest that current BMI guidelines may be too narrow because BMI in the overweight range appears to be protective for both older men and women. Across all levels of BMI, even low levels of physical activity decrease mortality risk compared with being sedentary. Our findings suggest that consideration should be given to having different alcohol guidelines for older men and women and should include recommendations for alcohol-free days. The benefit of quitting smoking at any age is apparent for both women and men.

Conclusions: Current national guidelines in the areas discussed in this paper should be reviewed for older people.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	13-16
Number of pages	4
Journal	Australasian Journal on Ageing
Volume	30
Issue number	s2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-6612.2010.00498.x
Publication status	Published - Oct 2011
Externally published	Yes

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McLaughlin, D., Adams, J., Almeida, O. P., Brown, W., Byles, J., Dobson, A., Flicker, L., Hankey, G. J., Jamrozik, K., McCaul, K. A., Norman, P. E., & Pachana, N. A. (2011). Are the national guidelines for health behaviour appropriate for older Australians? Evidence from the Men, Women and Ageing project. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 30(s2), 13-16. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-6612.2010.00498.x

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title = "Are the national guidelines for health behaviour appropriate for older Australians? Evidence from the Men, Women and Ageing project",

abstract = "Aim: To review findings from the Men, Women and Ageing (MWA) longitudinal studies and consider their implications for national health guidelines. Methods: Guidelines for good health for older adults in the areas of body mass index (BMI), physical activity, alcohol consumption and smoking behaviours are compared with MWA findings.Results: Findings from MWA suggest that current BMI guidelines may be too narrow because BMI in the overweight range appears to be protective for both older men and women. Across all levels of BMI, even low levels of physical activity decrease mortality risk compared with being sedentary. Our findings suggest that consideration should be given to having different alcohol guidelines for older men and women and should include recommendations for alcohol-free days. The benefit of quitting smoking at any age is apparent for both women and men. Conclusions: Current national guidelines in the areas discussed in this paper should be reviewed for older people.",

author = "Deirdre McLaughlin and Jon Adams and Almeida, {Osvaldo P.} and Wendy Brown and Julie Byles and Annette Dobson and Leon Flicker and Hankey, {Graeme J.} and Konrad Jamrozik and McCaul, {Kieran A.} and Norman, {Paul E.} and Pachana, {Nancy A.}",

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doi = "10.1111/j.1741-6612.2010.00498.x",

language = "English",

volume = "30",

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McLaughlin, D, Adams, J, Almeida, OP, Brown, W, Byles, J, Dobson, A, Flicker, L, Hankey, GJ, Jamrozik, K, McCaul, KA, Norman, PE & Pachana, NA 2011, 'Are the national guidelines for health behaviour appropriate for older Australians? Evidence from the Men, Women and Ageing project', Australasian Journal on Ageing, vol. 30, no. s2, pp. 13-16. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-6612.2010.00498.x

TY - JOUR

T1 - Are the national guidelines for health behaviour appropriate for older Australians? Evidence from the Men, Women and Ageing project

AU - McLaughlin, Deirdre

AU - Adams, Jon

AU - Almeida, Osvaldo P.

AU - Brown, Wendy

AU - Byles, Julie

AU - Dobson, Annette

AU - Flicker, Leon

AU - Hankey, Graeme J.

AU - Jamrozik, Konrad

AU - McCaul, Kieran A.

AU - Norman, Paul E.

AU - Pachana, Nancy A.

PY - 2011/10

Y1 - 2011/10

N2 - Aim: To review findings from the Men, Women and Ageing (MWA) longitudinal studies and consider their implications for national health guidelines. Methods: Guidelines for good health for older adults in the areas of body mass index (BMI), physical activity, alcohol consumption and smoking behaviours are compared with MWA findings.Results: Findings from MWA suggest that current BMI guidelines may be too narrow because BMI in the overweight range appears to be protective for both older men and women. Across all levels of BMI, even low levels of physical activity decrease mortality risk compared with being sedentary. Our findings suggest that consideration should be given to having different alcohol guidelines for older men and women and should include recommendations for alcohol-free days. The benefit of quitting smoking at any age is apparent for both women and men. Conclusions: Current national guidelines in the areas discussed in this paper should be reviewed for older people.

AB - Aim: To review findings from the Men, Women and Ageing (MWA) longitudinal studies and consider their implications for national health guidelines. Methods: Guidelines for good health for older adults in the areas of body mass index (BMI), physical activity, alcohol consumption and smoking behaviours are compared with MWA findings.Results: Findings from MWA suggest that current BMI guidelines may be too narrow because BMI in the overweight range appears to be protective for both older men and women. Across all levels of BMI, even low levels of physical activity decrease mortality risk compared with being sedentary. Our findings suggest that consideration should be given to having different alcohol guidelines for older men and women and should include recommendations for alcohol-free days. The benefit of quitting smoking at any age is apparent for both women and men. Conclusions: Current national guidelines in the areas discussed in this paper should be reviewed for older people.

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Are the national guidelines for health behaviour appropriate for older Australians? Evidence from the Men, Women and Ageing project

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