Journal of Aging and Health RSS feed -- OnlineFirst Articles

Changes in the Prevalence of Mobility Limitations and Mobile Life Expectancy of Older Adults in Singapore, 1995-2005

Yong, V., Saito, Y., Chan, A. — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:12:34 PST

Objective: To examine changes in the prevalence of mobility limitations and mobile life expectancy of Singaporeans aged 55+. Method: Data came from the cross-sectional 1995 and 2005 National Survey of Senior Citizens (NSSC; n = 4,750 and n = 4,591, respectively). The prevalence-based Sullivan method was used to disaggregate total life expectancy into expected life time without and with mobility limitations. Results: Increases in life expectancy in the city-state were accompanied by increases in the prevalence of mobility limitations—from 3.0% to 5.7% for men and 5.1% to 9.7% for women. The impairments mostly began after age 65 and increased with age particularly at ages 85+. The proportion of life expectancy without mobility limitations declined over time, at all ages, and for both genders, with women still experiencing a higher proportion with mobility problems compared to men. Discussion: The overall results provided support for the expansion of morbidity hypothesis, and we discussed some possible reasons. From a policy perspective, the findings could suggest a need to develop infrastructures that would enable older Singaporeans to remain mobile in a highly urban setting.

Effect of the Exercise Dance for Seniors (EXDASE) Program on Lower-Body Functioning Among Institutionalized Older Adults

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:12:35 PST

Objectives: The authors conducted a randomized control trial to examine the effect of the Exercise Dance for Seniors (EXDASE) program on lower-body functioning among older individuals from residential care facilities in the Czech Republic. Method: Participants were randomly assigned into an experimental or control group. The experimental group completed a 3-month EXDASE program. Lower-body functioning was assessed using four performance-based measures. A 2 (group) x 2 (test) general linear model for repeated measures was used to explore whether differences in performance could be attributed to the intervention. Results: The authors found Group x Test interactions for the chair stand test, F(1, 50) = 14.37, p < .001, the 2-minute step test, F(1, 50) = 7.33, p = .009, the chair sit-and-reach test, F(1, 50) = 5.28, p = .026, and the timed up-and-go test, F(1, 44) = 6.59, p = .014, indicating that the experimental group outperformed the control group from pretest to posttest. Discussion: A relatively simple dance-based exercise can support lower-body functioning in previously sedentary, frail older adults.

Correlates of Grief Among Older Adults Caring for Children and Grandchildren as a Consequence of HIV and AIDS in South Africa

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:37:00 PST

Objectives: Over the past few years, older people have become the main caregivers for their sick adult children and orphaned grandchildren due to HIV/AIDS in SouthAfrica.This article aims to investigate the scope of care provided by older people, with a specific focus on the experience of grief due to multiple losses and its correlates. Methods: Quantitative interviews were conducted among 820 isiXhosa speaking caregivers of 60 years and older in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Results: Older persons are involved in a wide range of care activities with several dependents to care for. Grief among older adults is most strongly predicted by perceived stigma around HIV and AIDS and worries about providing the care. Discussion: This study provides insight into correlates of grief among older caregivers and results in useful information to inform the development of interventions to assist older persons in coping with their responsibilities as caregivers.

Volunteering and Trajectories of Depression

Kim, J., Pai, M. — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:43:51 PST

Objective: The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to examine the association between volunteering and trajectories of depression; and (2) to evaluate whether this relationship varies by age. Method: Data come from three waves of the Americans’ Changing Lives (ACL) study. ACL is a nationally representative sample of adults 25 years of age or older who lived in the United States. Results: Latent growth model analysis indicates that although volunteering is associated with lower levels of baseline depression, it does not predict trajectories of depression. Nevertheless, further analyses reveal an age variation in the relationship between volunteering and trajectories of depression. Specifically, we find that volunteering affects the decline of depression for individuals above age 65; yet there is no effect of volunteering on trajectories of depression for younger and middle-aged adults. Discussion: Overall findings highlight the importance of assessing the long-term health impact of volunteering and doing so under diverse social structural contexts.

Body Mass Index, Disability, and 13-Year Mortality in Older French Adults

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:43:51 PST

Objective: To investigate the relationship between mortality and BMI in older people, taking into account other established mortality risk factors. Methods: A total of 3,646 French community dwellers aged 65 years and older from PAQUID cohort study were included. Cox proportional-hazards analysis was used to assess association between BMI and mortality. Results: Death occurred in 54.1% of the cohort more than 13 years:68.99% of the underweight (BMI <19), 52.13% of the obese (BMI >30), 51.66% of the overweight (BMI 25-30), and 51.79% of the reference participants (BMI 22-25) died. The relative risk of death as a function of BMI, adjusted for gender and age, formed a U-shaped pattern, with larger risks associated with lower BMI (<22.0) and for BMI of 25.0 to 30.0 and BMI ≥30.(BMI 22.0-24.9 was the reference.) After adjustment for demographic factors, smoking history, and comorbidity, increased mortality risk persisted in underweight older people, BMI <18.5 and BMI 18.5-22 (respectively, HR = 1.45, 95% CI 1.17-1.78; HR = 1.27,95% CI 1.12-1.43) compared with reference. Overweight (BMI 25-29.9) and obesity (≥30) were not associated with increased mortality compared with the reference category (respectively, HR = 0.98,95% IC 0.88-1.10;HR = 1.06,95% IC0.89-1.27). Similar relationships persisted for disabled participant. For nondisabled participant disability did not alter the associations for BMI of 25.0 and higher but for BMI less than 22.0, the risks become insignificantly different from those for the reference group. Discussion: BMI below 22 kg/ m² is a risk factor for 13-year mortality in older people, but our findings suggest that overweight and obesity may not be associated to mortality after adjustment for established mortality risk factors.