Клінічна та профілактична медицина (Mar 2025)
THE IMPACT OF THE TYPE OF CARE ON LONGEVITY IN UKRAINE
Abstract
Introduction. Parents play an important role in raising children. They develop their language, thinking, form their interests, aspirations, recognize the ability to talent. A father serves as an example of courage for children and teaches them to care for and protect others. A mother, in turn, forms the emotional foundation of the family, supports her children’s dreams and aspirations, and creates a sense of comfort at home. The family is a source of material and moral support for children, a means of preserving and transmitting cultural values and traditions from generation to generation. Aim. To study the role of parents/guardians for the long-lived in the Ivano-Frankivsk region (Ukraine). Materials and methods. As a result of the conducted interview, the impact of upbringing on 517 people aged 90 and over who lived in the Ivano-Frankivsk region (Ukraine) during 2005-2018 was assessed. Results. In our study we observed 372 women and 145 men (517 people in total) aged 90 to 102 years. The quantity ratio of women to men was 2.6:1. This gender feature correlates with the total number of long-lived persons in the population of Ukraine. Taking into consideration the fact that the childhood and youth of future long-lived individuals took place during World War I, 34 men (23.4%) and 69 women (18.5%) were brought up in a nuclear family and were 90+ years old at the time of their questioning (p>0.05). There was no significant difference (p>0.05) in the upbringing of single children under 18 only by a father – 2 sons (1.4%) and 5 daughters (1.3%), and only by a mother – 41 sons (28.3%) and 107 daughters (28.8%). For the group “men”: the factor of upbringing by the “relatives” was the most sufficient, which affected their longevity, as P = 0.223 and obtained its least amount; for the group “women”: such factor was the upbringing by “both parents”, as when eliminating it, the the Pearson's contingency coefficient significantly deteriorated and amounted to 0.253. There is a strong close relationship between the resulting feature of “age” of the long-lived and 5 factor features of the “upbringing to the age of 18” (“both parents”, “mother”, “father”, “relatives”, “in an orphanage”) for 2 groups of the respondents: “men”, “women”. Under the age of 18, future long-lived people in 405 cases (78.3%) were significantly more often (p<0.05) brought up in the circle of close relatives than in orphanages – 112 cases (21.7%). Conclusions. Our study contributes to the growing body of evidence that upbringing within a family setting, particularly by one or both parents or relatives, is associated with better longevity outcomes than orphanage care. This highlights the potential health benefits of a country that supports family values while promoting a healthier aging population.
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