BACKGROUND: In recent decades a substantial number of studies have examined predictors of nursing home placement (NHP) in the elderly. This study provides a systematic review of gender-differences in predictors of NHP from population-based, longitudinal studies worldwide. METHODS: Relevant articles were identified by a systematic search of literature. The articles based on prospective studies with representative samples of community-living elders identified predictors by gender-specific multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Eleven studies were identified. We found gender differences in the prediction of NHP for marital status, living situation, housing and car availability and urinary incontinence. For both genders the risk of NHP did not differ substantially for age, functional impairment, cognitive impairment, dementia, and depression. The male to female ratio of admission rates ranged between 1 to 1.4 and 1 to 1.6. CONCLUSIONS: Only a few studies analyzed gender-specific predictors of NHP, probably owing to the associated statistical difficulties. However, gender differences in prediction of NHP do actually exist, and this should encourage further research activities in this area using appropriate statistical methods.
