Non-Japanese, Japanese and Japanese descendant older adults in the Health, Wellbeing and Aging Study: functional and health conditions.

Introduction: The city of São Paulo has the largest community of Japanese descendants outside of Japan.

Objectives: To compare the demographic, economic, functional, and health conditions of non-Japanese, Japanese, and their descendants; and to analyze comparatively the functional and health conditions of older adults born in Japan and their descendants born in Brazil.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in the city of São Paulo, in 2010, with 1,345 older adults (≥ 60 years) participants in the SABE Study (Health, Welfare and Aging). The participants were classified as non-Japanese (not born in Japan), Japanese (born in Japan) or have reported being a direct descendant of Japanese. For the data analysis, χ2 test with Rao-Scott correction was used.

Results: Of the 1,345 older adults, 3.3% were Japanese or descendants. These differed from non-Japanese in terms of higher education and reported income sufficiency. Among older adults born in Japan, there was a higher proportion of oldest old (38.8%), cardiovascular diseases (48.9%) and cognitive decline (26.7%).

Conclusion: It is noted that Japanese and descendants older adults presented better functionality when compared to non-Japanese. Among Japanese and descendants, differences in the profile of diseases were observed. It is believed that such results may be due to cultural influences.