Disparity in preemptive end-of-life conversation experience caused by subjective economic status among general Japanese elderly people: a cross-sectional study with stratified random sampling

Objectives: Preemptive conversations (PCs) about end-of-life (EOL) preferences are beneficial for both elderly people and their families to understand and share the preferences. However, the factors which promote/inhibit PCs have yet to be clarified. We therefore aimed to determine the factors related to having PCs with hypothesis that age, subjective economic status and subjective health status are associated with having PC experience. Design: A cross-sectional study administering a questionnaire and using stratified random sampling by gender and region. Setting: Residents aged 65 years or older who were not receiving nursing care as of November 1, 2016, were extracted from the Japanese long-term care insurance system registry in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Participants: 1,575 participants (717 males and 858 females). Outcome: Presence or absence of PC experience with family or friends (yes/no). Results: The mean age of the participants was 74.0 years. A multivariable l...