Risk factors for Self-Reported Diagnosed Cataract among older adults in Poland. Findings from PolSenior2 Study.

Abstract Purpose: The aim of our study was to investigate sociodemographic factors, comorbidities and health behaviors associated with self-reported diagnosed cataract in a large, nationally representative population of older adults in Poland, aged 60 and above. Patient and Methods: An analysis was conducted on a survey among 5956 participants of the nationally representative PolSenior2 study conducted between 2018 and 2019. Multiple logistic regression analysis was employed to ascertain the association between self-reported diagnosed cataract and sociodemographic factors, health behaviors, and comorbidities. Results: In the final multivariate model, the odds radio (OR) of self-reported diagnosed cataract were 1.71 times higher among women compared to men. Additionally, the odds increased significantly with age, with 70-79-year-olds having 3.38 times higher odds, 80-89-year-olds having 8.08 times higher odds, and those aged 90 years and older having 10.76 times higher odds compared to the reference group (60-69 years old). The prevalence of self-reported diagnosed cataract was found to be 1.47 times higher among individuals with diabetes, 1.20 times higher among those with hypertension, and 1.25 times higher among tobacco users compared to their respective counterparts. Additionally, rural dwellers exhibited a lower risk for self-reported cataract (OR = 0.63). Conclusion: Our study revealed a positive correlation between several demographic and health factors—namely, older age, female gender, urban residence, hypertension, diabetes, and smoking—and an elevated risk of cataract.