THE HEALTH-STATUS OF ELDERLY PERSONS IN THE LAST YEAR OF LIFE - A COMPARISON OF DEATHS BY SUICIDE, INJURY, AND NATURAL CAUSES

Objectives. This study identified health status variables related to s uicide by elderly persons and compared the health status of suicide de cedents with natural death and injury decedents. Methods. Data were ob tained from the 1986 National Mortality Followback Survey. Results. Wh en other variables were controlled for, suicide decedents were signifi cantly more likely than injury decedents to have a history of cancer ( odds ratio [OR] = 51.94), moderate (OR = 29.37) or heavy (OR = 22.87) alcohol use, and mental or emotional disorder (OR = 10.91) and to be W hite (OR = 18.54) and male (OR = 9.12). Conclusions. The findings indi cate that a history of cancer should be considered as a risk for suici de in the elderly.