Page |1
Executive Summary
Aging inArizona:Health Status of Older Arizonans
provides a comprehensive viewof the health
status,morbidity, andmortality amongArizonans 65 years of age and older. Designed to be a
resource for those taskedwith developing and implementinghealth policy for an increasingly
aged populace, this report draws frommultiple resources on the health, illness, andmortalityof
Arizona?s older adults. Population estimates and projectionswere used to examineArizona?s
current population composition by age and race/ethnicity aswell as to estimate howArizona?s
population structurewill change over the next 40 years. Next, the health behaviors and chronic
disease burden experienced byArizona?s seniorswere examined using the 2012Behavioral Risk
Factor SurveillanceSystem (BRFSS).Moving from population prevalence of health-related
behaviors andmorbidities to healthcare utilization amongArizona?s aging adults, 2012Hospital
DischargeData (HDD)was used to summarize emergency room (ER) and inpatient discharges
by first-listed diagnosis separated bygender. Finally, the leading causes of death forArizonans
age 65 and olderwere identified separatelybygender in 2012, with recent trends (2002 ? 2012)
in the leading causes of deaths also being analyzed.
Based on a number of social and epidemiological factors, the cominghalf centurywill see an
unprecedented shift in the age structure of our society. InArizona, the total population is
expected to increase about 80 percent from 6,401,568 in 2010 to a projected 11,562,584 in 2050,
while the number ofArizonans age 65 and older is expected to increase 174 percent from
883,014 in 2010 to 2,422,186 in 2050. As the proportion ofArizonans age 65 and over increases,
sowill the racial/ethnic diversityof our population as awhole. The increasingnumber and
proportion of older adults in our statewill necessitate the strategic planningof cost-effective
health and social services to properly care for our older population.
Understanding the health ofArizona?s current elderlypopulation provides guidance in preparing
for the coming growth of our older population. Compared to older adults nationally, a smaller
percentage ofArizona?s older population reported prior year flu shots, and this held true for prior
year checkups amongArizona?s oldermales. A significantly lower proportion of olderArizonans
had been diagnosedwith diabetes than nationally, but a greater percentage ofArizonamales
reported a skin cancer diagnosis than comparably agedmales nationally. Comparisons of older
adultswithinArizona bygender revealed that Arizona?s elderlymales have a higher prevalence
of heart attack and skin cancer diagnoses thanArizona?s older females, but elderly females had a
greater percentage reportingbeingdiagnosedwith asthma. These results suggest that focusingon
increasing access to preventative health checkups and flu shots for olderArizonans should
become a priority, as should greater attention to cardiovascular health and skin protection among
agingmen, and treatment of asthma amongolderwomen.
Focusingon the current utilization of emergency room (ER) and inpatient hospital services
provides another lens to viewour current population of older adults and to prepare for their
progression in the coming years. According to hospital discharge records fromArizona?s
