Japanese Journal of Geriatrics最新文献

Aims: This study examined the impact of the residential environment on the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and other health-related factors among older women in urban and rural areas.

Methods: This study included 423 older adults living in urban and rural areas, of whom 236 older women met the inclusion criteria. The HRQOL, physical function, body composition, pain, mental and sleep status, and cognitive function were measured and compared between the two groups by region. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were used to investigate the factors influencing HRQOL.

Results: Older rural women had a significantly worse educational history, grip strength, knee extension strength, sit-and-reach distance, one-leg standing, gait speed, and muscle mass as well as significantly better results for the Timed Up and Go tests and fat mass than older urban women. However, no significant differences in the HRQOL were found between regions. Pain intensity and central sensitization-related symptom (CSS) severity were identified as the key factors influencing the HRQOL across both regions.

Conclusion: Despite a poorer physical function in older rural women, pain intensity and CSS severity were the main factors influencing the HRQOL in both urban and rural areas. Thus, approaches targeting pain and CSS could be beneficial for improving the HRQOL in community-dwelling older women. Improving the physical function is particularly important for older rural women.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationship between decreased appetite and the higher life function in elderly patients with diabetes.

Methods: The subjects were outpatients with diabetes of ≥ 60 years of age at Ise Red Cross Hospital. The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence (TMIG-IC), a self-administered questionnaire, was used to assess the higher life function. The Japanese version of the Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire (SNAQ) was used to measure decreased appetite. A multiple regression analysis with TMIG-IC score as the dependent variable and decreased appetite and adjustment variables as explanatory variables was used to calculate the standardized regression coefficient (β) of decreased appetite for higher life functions.

Results: A total of 492 patients were included in this study. Seventeen percent of the patients had decreased appetite, and the mean TMIG-IC score was 10.6. The adjusted beta for decreased appetite for the TMIG-IC score based on no decreased appetite was -0.141 (P=0.004).

Conclusion: Decreased appetite in elderly patients with diabetes is associated with impaired higher life functions.

Objective: This study examined how older drivers and their families differ in their awareness of driving and the consequences of the differences in driving.

Methods: A questionnaire about the driving behavior of older drivers was administered to 96 pairs of older drivers and their family members. We then analyzed the differences between the two groups.

Results: The percentage of responses was significantly different for the following questions between the older drivers and their family members: "I have become slower at operating my car than before" (21.5% for the older driver vs. 42.3% for the family member), "I seem to be upset easily recently" (17.2% vs. 33.3%), "I have to look for my car key or driver's license" (15.1% vs. 35.1%), "I have forgotten to turn off the blinker" (4.4% vs. 16.9%), "I scrape my car more frequently recently" (3.2% vs. 20.3%), and "I think my driving is okay so far" (95.7% vs. 63.3%). The number of items that differed significantly between older drivers and their family members was 6.1±4.1 per pair. The group that showed ≥7 different items showed a higher rate of accidents within the last 3 years than the group that showed ≤6 different items (25.8% vs. 4.3%, p<0.01).

Conclusions: Perceptions regarding driving differed between older drivers and their family members. This was related to the frequency of accidents. It is important to share differences in awareness regarding driving and discuss it within the family.

Aim: This study examined the effect of five months of interval walking training (IWT) on knee extensor and flexor muscle strength and blood pressure in older people based on monthly changes over time.

Methods: Forty-eight elderly subjects (14 men, 34 women; mean age, 70±5 years old) practiced IWT for 5 months. The peak oxygen intake (VO₂peak) was measured before and after the intervention, and knee extension, flexion muscle strength, and blood pressure were measured monthly from the start of the intervention.

Results: A significant increase in the VO₂peak (pre: 20.0±3.2 ml/min/kg, post: 21.3±3.9 ml/min/kg) was observed after 5 months of IWT, along with significant increases in knee extensor (pre: 20.6±6.4 kgf, post: 27.2±9.3 kgf) and flexor (pre: 12.7±4.5 kgf, post: 14.7±5.2 kgf) muscle strength, with knee extensor strength increasing significantly until the third month and knee flexor strength until the second month, after which these values plateaued. Regarding resting blood pressure, a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure was observed after the second month of intervention and a significant decrease in diastolic blood pressure was observed after the fifth month of intervention.

Conclusions: Five months of IWT resulted in an increase in physical fitness due to an increase in the VO₂peak, an increase in lower limb muscle strength, and an improvement in resting blood pressure. However, significant increases in knee extensor and flexor muscle strength plateaued after four months. These results suggest that VO₂peak should be measured every three months and adjusted to an appropriate exercise program to more effectively maintain and improve physical fitness.