Trends in places and causes of death among centenarians in Japan from 2006 to 2016

Aim
Amid the global aging, an establishment of healthcare policies for the aged population is a common issue to be addressed. However, few studies on centenarians have reported place and cause of death (PoD and CoD, respectively) as indicators of end-of-life care quality. This study aimed to analyze trends in PoD and CoD among centenarians in Japan.

Methods
Data from death certificates from Japanese vital statistics were analyzed; 205 513 deaths occurred among centenarians (aged ≥100 years) in Japan during the period from 2006 to 2016. PoD prevalence was calculated for each CoD. Trends in PoD prevalence were analyzed using the Joinpoint regression model. Changing points, annual percentage changes, and average annual percentage changes (AAPCs) were calculated to examine trends.

Results
The number of deaths more than doubled from 10 340 in 2006 to 26 427 in 2016. PoDs were composed of hospitals (52.7%), nursing homes (31.4%), own homes (13.6%) and others (2.2%). Dementia and old age increased rapidly as CoD. Proportions of hospital and home deaths decreased, with AAPCs of −2.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], −2.6 to −1.9) and −2.3% (95% CI, −3.2 to −1.4), respectively. Conversely, the proportion of deaths in nursing homes rapidly increased, with an AAPC of 6.8% (95% CI, 6.0–7.7).

Conclusions
The results revealed changes in PoD among centenarians in Japan. Understanding these transitions is indispensable for health policy in aging societies.

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: [Koyama, T, Higashionna, T, Maruo, A, et al. Trends in places and causes of death among centenarians in Japan from 2006 to 2016. Geriatr. Gerontol. Int. 2022; 22: 675– 680. https://doi.org/10.1111/ggi.14416], which has been published in final form at [https://doi.org/10.1111/ggi.14416]. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages there of by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.