Kin Availability and the Risk of-, and the Prognosis after, a Hip Fracture. A Register Based Cohort Study of Elderly Swedes.

Anna C. Meyer, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska institutet
Terese Jørgensen, University of Copenhagen
Karin Modig , Karolinska Institutet

Background: Kin availability, especially a spouse and/or adult children, has shown to be beneficial for health and mortality in old age. There is need for more studies about at which stage during the disease process the support matter. Hip fractures are among the most common and debilitating injuries in old age. It is reasonable to assume that individuals attaining a hip fracture could benefit from support provided by children, given the high level of functional limitations that follows a hip fracture. Spouses or children can also be of importance for the risk of attaining a hip fracture due to either biological factors related to bone density, but also through osteoporosis treatment or adjustments in the home preventing the risk of falling. Methods: This study is based on Swedish register data of the total population, with information about living conditions, civil status, children, education and hip fractures and the prognosis. We compare the incidence rates of hip fractures as well as the prognosis after the fracture among individuals with and without spouse and children. Results: Preliminary findings show that men and women who are married and have children experience lower mortality after their hip fracture. For regained walking ability, having children seem to be associated with increased odds whereas marital status did not improve the odds, rather the opposite. Finally, being married were positively associated with the odds of having returned to living at own home 4 months after the fracture both among men and women.

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 Presented in Session 56. Kin Availability at Older Ages and Its Consequences on Health