《科学日报》2011年4月6日消息:发表在《流行病学与公共卫生杂志》电子版上的一项研究称,经常的购物疗法看起来确实有助于人们活得更长。
And it seems to benefit older men the most, the findings show.
并且从结果来看老年男性似乎最受益。
The authors base their findings on almost 1,850 elderly (65+) Taiwanese people who were living independently at home, and included in the nationally representative Elderly Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (NAHSIT Elderly), carried out in 1999-2000.
调查是对约1850名65岁以上的台湾独居老人进行的,这些老人也是具有代表性的、1999-2000年台湾地区老人营养健康状况调查(NAHSIT Elderly)的调查对象。
Participants were asked how often they went shopping, with options ranging from "never" to "every day."
这些调查对象被问到他们去购物的频率,选项有从“从不”到“每天”。
Intellectual and physical capacities were measured using validated questionnaires, and age, gender, education, ethnicity, financial and employment status, lifestyle factors and the prevalence of long term conditions were also factored in.
智力与行动能力通过已经验证有效的调查问卷来测定,同时考虑到年龄、性别、教育程度、种族、经济及雇用状况、生活方式和慢性疾病情况等因素。
The researchers then tracked how long each of the participants lived by linking individuals to national death registration data between 1999 and 2008.
研究人员然后通过1999-2008年间台湾死亡登记数据来跟踪确定每个被调查对象活了多长时间。
Nearly half (48%) of the participants never or infrequently shopped during the week, and around one in four (22%) shopped between two and four times a week. A further 17% shopped every day, and the remainder shopped just once a week.
接近一半(48%)被调查者一个星期也不或极少去购物,约四分之一(22%)每周购物2-4次,另外17%每天都购物,剩下的一周只购物一次。
Almost two thirds of respondents were under the age of 75. Just over half (54%) were men. Most had a healthy lifestyle and three out of four were financially self sufficient. Almost two thirds (60%) had up to two long term conditions.
在所有被调查的对象中,约三分之二年龄在75岁以下,一半多(54%)是男性,大多数有着健康的生活方式,四分之三在经济上独立,接近三分之二有一种甚至两种慢性疾病。
Those who went shopping more than once a week tended to be at the younger end of the age spectrum, and male. They also tended to be smokers and drinkers, have better physical and mental health, take regular exercise and have a network of dinner companions.
那些一周内购物超过一次的大多是被调查对象里年龄比较年轻的,男性。他们大多吸烟,喝酒,有更好的身体和精神状况,经常运动,有很多晚餐同伴。
The researchers used different approaches to take account of physical limitations and cognitive impairment, but even so, those who shopped daily lived longer than those who shopped less frequently.
研究人员采用不同的方法把身体和认知障碍考虑进来,但即使如此,那些每天购物的还是比那些购物没这么频繁的活的时间长。
Those who shopped daily were 27% less likely to die, with male daily shoppers 28% less likely to die, compared with female shoppers who were 23% less likely to die.
那些每天购物的死亡的可能性要低27%,其中男性要低28%,而女性要低23%。
The authors acknowledge that shopping could be a surrogate for good health to begin with, but suggest that shopping itself may improve health, by ensuring a good supply of food, to maintain a healthy diet, for example.
作者承认首先购物这种行为可能就已经说明了良好的健康状况,但指出购物本身可以改善健康状况,例如通过保证食品的良好供应来保持健康的饮食。
Frequent shopping among the elderly may not always be about buying things, but about seeking companionship or taking exercise, which is easier to do than more formal exercise that usually requires motivation, they say.
老年人经常去购物不一定是要买东西,可能是去寻求陪伴或做运动,这种运动比那些需要动力的、更为正式的运动要容易做,他们说。
The conventional view of health promotion focuses on physical activity, but engaging in social and economic activities in later life may also contribute to better health, they add.
关于改善健康的常见观点集中于物理运动,但在老年时参与社会和经济活动同样有助于身体健康,他们补充说。
"Shopping captures several dimensions of personal wellbeing, health, and security as well as contributing to the community's cohesiveness and economy, and may represent or actually confer increased longevity," they conclude.
“购物涵盖了个人幸福的几个层面:健康、安全以及对社会团结和经济作出贡献,可能代表了或者确实给予了更长的寿命,”他们总结说。
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