title: Factors Associated with Fatigue among Men Aged 45 and Older: A Cross-Sectional Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms reported in several studies; but few studies have concentrated on the male population, especially for the middle-aged and older men who are exposed to greater fatigue risk. The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence of fatigue and identify the risk factors of fatigue among men aged 45 and older in China.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was part of a cross-sectional study on community health in Shunde (Guangdong Province, China). A total sample of 1158 men aged 45 and older were included. Sociodemographic characteristics, health and lifestyle factors and the Chalder Fatigue Scale (CFS) were measured by structured questionnaires through face-to-face interviews. Multivariate logistic regression was applied to determine the risk factors of fatigue.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Approximately 30% of participants experienced fatigue. Older age (≥75 years: adjusted OR 3.88, 95% CI 2.09-7.18), single marital status (1.94, 1.04-3.62), unemployed status (1.68, 1.16-2.43), number of self-reported chronic diseases (≥2 chronic diseases: 2.83, 1.86-4.31), number of individuals' children (≥4 children: 2.35, 1.33-4.15), hospitalization in the last year (1.61, 1.03-2.52) were all significantly associated with increased risk of fatigue, while regular exercise (0.46, 0.32-0.65) was a protective factor against fatigue.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fatigue was usual in males and several factors were associated with the fatigue. These findings may have implication in risk assessment of fatigue and help in developing and implementing targeted interventions in middle-aged and elderly males.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510182, China. linweiquan0503@163.com.
authors.forename: Wei-Quan
authors.initials: WQ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Institute of Public Health, School of Nursing, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, China. jing53905@163.com.
authors.forename: Meng-Juan
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Jing
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510182, China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510182, China. wjiaji@163.com.
authors.forename: Jia-Ji
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510182, China. zhanghuishan_25@163.com.
authors.forename: Hui-Shan
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, School of Nursing, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510182, China. yuanlexin2015@163.com.
authors.forename: Le-Xin
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510182, China. peixi001@163.com.|Institute of Public Health, School of Nursing, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, China. peixi001@163.com.
authors.forename: Pei-Xi
authors.initials: PX
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015444:Exercise; D005221:Fatigue / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: cross-sectional study; fatigue; middle-aged and older men; prevalence