University of Tokyo

Abstract
Survey Number 0636
Survey Title Survey of Attitudes among the Elderly toward Health, 2008
Depositor Director General for Policies on Cohesive Society, Cabinet Office, The Government of Japan
Restriction of Use For detailed information, please refer to 'For Data Users' at SSJDA website.

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Educational Purpose Available for both research and instructional purposes.
Period of Data Use Permission One year
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Nesstar Not available
Summary Japan is facing an “unprecedented aging society” that no country in the world has ever experienced, and it is only expected to advance further in the future.

It is important to promote measures for promoting health and preventive care that allow the elderly to have healthy lives and to establish systems so that the increasing numbers of elderly expected to require long-term care or support in the future will receive the necessary services to spend their twilight years living as independently as possible. From this viewpoint, the purpose of this survey is to understand the actual situation and attitudes to health among the elderly, including such points as health status, eating habits, long-term care, medical care, enjoyable things/anxieties, and through chronological analysis against two past surveys, to contribute to the promotion of future social measures for the aging society.
Data Type quantitative research
quantitative research: micro data
Universe Men and women aged 55 years and older in Japan
Unit of Observation Individual
Sample Size Sample size: 5,000 people
Valid responses (rate): 3,157 people (63.1%)
Date of Collection 2008-02-07 ~ 2008-02-24
2008/02/07 – 02/24
Time Period 2008 ~ 2008
Spatial Unit Japan
Japan
Sampling Procedure Probability: Stratified
Probability: Multistage
Two-stage stratified random sampling
Mode of Data Collection Face-to-face interview
Face-to-face interview
Investigator Director General for Policies on Cohesive Society, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan,survey carried out by Shin Joho Center
DOI 10.34500/SSJDA.0636
Sponsors (Funds)
Related Publications (by the Investigator) Please refer to the abstract in Japanese.
Related Publications (based on Secondary Analysis) List of related publications (based on Secondary Analysis)
Documentation [Questionnaire]
Major Survey Items (1) Items related to basic attributes
Gender (F1),age (F2),marital status (F3),whether or not cohabiting/cohabitants (Q30 (F4)),current job (F5),longest-held occupation (F6),presence of children (Q9 (F7)),type of housing (F8), monthly income (F9), state of long-term care level (F10),etc.

(2) Items related to health status
Current health status (Q1),effects on daily life (Q2),difficulty of daily activities (Q3),worries and anxieties (Q4)

(3) Items related to daily life
Frequency of going out (Q5),level of interaction with neighbors (Q6),presence of close friends/acquaintances (Q7),distance between respondent’s residence and residence of reliable children or grandchildren (Q8),frequency of contact with non-cohabitating children (Q9SQ), respondent’s role in family and among relatives (Q10),activities participated in (Q11),reasons for not participating in activities (Q11SQ),presence of ikigai (life feels worthwhile (joy and fun)) (Q12),degree of satisfaction with daily life (Q13)

Desired retirement age (Q14),stressful daily expenses (Q15),age at which elderly should receive support (Q16),relationship between social security and tax burden (Q17), frequency of facing difficulties in interacting with acquaintances in everyday life for physical/psychological reasons (Q18),feelings in the past month (Q19),someone to talk to about worries or anxieties (Q20), what respondent seeks to do to maintain and improve health (Q21)

(4) Items related to medical care
Frequency of medical service use (Q22), awareness of informed consent (Q23),desired place to be in the last moment of life (Q24),thoughts on life-prolonging treatment for self (Q25),thoughts on life-prolonging treatment for family members (Q26),expectations for the government regarding health management (Q27),falling accidents at home (Q28)

(5) Items related to welfare
Presence of anxiety regarding the possibility of needing long-term care (Q29),desired place to receive long-term care (Q29SQ1),desired long-term care provider (Q29SQ2),anxiety about the possibility of spouse needing long-term care (Q30SQ1),desired place for spouse to receive long-term care (Q30SQ2),method of paying for long-term care expenses (Q31)

(6) Items related to eating habits
What respondent watches out for when eating (Q32),worries about eating habits (Q33),intention to use meal services (Q34),frequency of eating with family (Q35),degree of satisfaction with general eating habits (Q36)
Date of Release 2010/04/22
Topics in CESSDA Click here for details

Diet and nutrition
General health and well-being
Health care services and policies
Medication and treatment
Elderly
Specific social services: use and availability
Topics in SSJDA Health/Medical Care
Social Security/Welfare
Version 1 : 2010-04-22
Notes for Users Variable and value labels are written in Japanese.