Sex Differences in Medication and Primary Healthcare Use before and after Spousal Bereavement at Older Ages in Denmark: Nationwide Register Study of over 6000 Bereavements
Background. The study aimed to examine sex differences in healthcare use before and after widowhood to investigate whether reduced healthcare use among widowers compared with widows may partially explain excess mortality and more adverse health outcomes among men than women after spousal loss. Metho...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2011-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Aging Research |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.4061/2011/678289 |
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| author | Anna Oksuzyan Rune Jacobsen Karen Glaser Cecilia Tomassini James W. Vaupel Kaare Christensen |
| author_facet | Anna Oksuzyan Rune Jacobsen Karen Glaser Cecilia Tomassini James W. Vaupel Kaare Christensen |
| author_sort | Anna Oksuzyan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background. The study aimed to examine sex differences in healthcare use before and after widowhood to investigate whether reduced healthcare use among widowers compared with widows may partially explain excess mortality and more adverse health outcomes among men than women after spousal loss.
Methods. All individuals alive and aged at least 60 years in 1996 and who became widowed in the period from 1996 to 2003 were selected from the 5% sample of the total Danish population and all Danish twins. The healthcare use was assessed as the average daily all-cause and major system-specific medication use and the average annual number of visits to general physicians (GPs).
Results. The average daily use of all-cause and major system-specific medications, as well as the number of GP visits increased over the period from 1 year before and up to 5 years after a spouse's death, but there were no sex-specific patterns in the trajectories of medication use and number of GP visits after conjugal loss. Conclusion. We found little support for the hypothesis that reduced healthcare use contributes to the explanation of more adverse health outcomes after conjugal loss in men compared with women in Denmark. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-519400991dca457cbe449f9a2841d3fb |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2090-2212 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2011-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Aging Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-519400991dca457cbe449f9a2841d3fb2025-02-03T07:25:27ZengWileyJournal of Aging Research2090-22122011-01-01201110.4061/2011/678289678289Sex Differences in Medication and Primary Healthcare Use before and after Spousal Bereavement at Older Ages in Denmark: Nationwide Register Study of over 6000 BereavementsAnna Oksuzyan0Rune Jacobsen1Karen Glaser2Cecilia Tomassini3James W. Vaupel4Kaare Christensen5The Danish Aging Research Center, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, J. B. Winsloews Vej 9B, 5000 Odense, DenmarkThe Danish Aging Research Center, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, J. B. Winsloews Vej 9B, 5000 Odense, DenmarkInstitute of Gerontology, King’s College London, Melbourne House, Strand, London WC2R 2LS, UKDepartment SEGES, University of Molise, Via F. De Sanctis, 86100 Campobasso, ItalyLaboratory of Survival and Longevity, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Konrad-Zuse Street 1, 18057 Rostock, GermanyThe Danish Aging Research Center, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, J. B. Winsloews Vej 9B, 5000 Odense, DenmarkBackground. The study aimed to examine sex differences in healthcare use before and after widowhood to investigate whether reduced healthcare use among widowers compared with widows may partially explain excess mortality and more adverse health outcomes among men than women after spousal loss. Methods. All individuals alive and aged at least 60 years in 1996 and who became widowed in the period from 1996 to 2003 were selected from the 5% sample of the total Danish population and all Danish twins. The healthcare use was assessed as the average daily all-cause and major system-specific medication use and the average annual number of visits to general physicians (GPs). Results. The average daily use of all-cause and major system-specific medications, as well as the number of GP visits increased over the period from 1 year before and up to 5 years after a spouse's death, but there were no sex-specific patterns in the trajectories of medication use and number of GP visits after conjugal loss. Conclusion. We found little support for the hypothesis that reduced healthcare use contributes to the explanation of more adverse health outcomes after conjugal loss in men compared with women in Denmark.http://dx.doi.org/10.4061/2011/678289 |
| spellingShingle | Anna Oksuzyan Rune Jacobsen Karen Glaser Cecilia Tomassini James W. Vaupel Kaare Christensen Sex Differences in Medication and Primary Healthcare Use before and after Spousal Bereavement at Older Ages in Denmark: Nationwide Register Study of over 6000 Bereavements Journal of Aging Research |
| title | Sex Differences in Medication and Primary Healthcare Use before and after Spousal Bereavement at Older Ages in Denmark: Nationwide Register Study of over 6000 Bereavements |
| title_full | Sex Differences in Medication and Primary Healthcare Use before and after Spousal Bereavement at Older Ages in Denmark: Nationwide Register Study of over 6000 Bereavements |
| title_fullStr | Sex Differences in Medication and Primary Healthcare Use before and after Spousal Bereavement at Older Ages in Denmark: Nationwide Register Study of over 6000 Bereavements |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sex Differences in Medication and Primary Healthcare Use before and after Spousal Bereavement at Older Ages in Denmark: Nationwide Register Study of over 6000 Bereavements |
| title_short | Sex Differences in Medication and Primary Healthcare Use before and after Spousal Bereavement at Older Ages in Denmark: Nationwide Register Study of over 6000 Bereavements |
| title_sort | sex differences in medication and primary healthcare use before and after spousal bereavement at older ages in denmark nationwide register study of over 6000 bereavements |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.4061/2011/678289 |
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