European Journal of Ageing最新文献

This study examines whether there are age-related differences in the experience of life events across adulthood. We hypothesized that older adults would report life events that are less anticipated, less normative, less controllable, less positive, and more strenuous than younger adults due to increasing developmental losses and decreasing gains. We investigated how age (linear, quadratic, and cubic) relates to life-event characteristics by comparing different events and analyzing the same events across individuals, to distinguish between the effects observed across life events and those that emerge after accounting for the specific life event in question. Additionally, we hypothesized that older adults would cope better with less favorable events due to their life experience and emotion regulation skills. Analyses of 6,688 participants (18-90 years) showed that while older adults reported less favorable life events, they coped better with the same events than younger adults. The results underscore the importance of distinguishing between age and life event effects. They also show that life-event characteristics are consistently linked to well-being throughout adulthood.

Subjective age, that is felt age compared to chronological age, is an important predictor of health and well-being in later life. It can fluctuate from day to day and from one moment to another. Previous cross-sectional and macro-longitudinal studies have shown that feeling younger is related to physical fitness and exercise. Yet, there is limited knowledge on the effects of physical activity on subjective age in daily life and moderators of this association. We thus aim to investigate the association of momentary physical activity with momentary subjective age, expecting that more activity is related to feeling younger. We further expect that concurrent pain experience attenuates this relationship. N = 54 participants aged 50-62 years (Mage = 56.1 years, 75% female) wore chest-sensors measuring their physical activity (step count, movement acceleration) for one week and reported on their subjective age five times per day. Multilevel regression analyses revealed between and within-person variation in momentary subjective age (ICC = 0.74), pain (ICC = 0.63) and physical activity (ICC Moac30 = 0.078, steps30 = 0.053). Pain emerged as a consistent predictor of momentary subjective age (b = 4.64, p = 0.000), whereas results were mixed for the physical activity measures. No significant moderating effect of pain was observed on the relationship between physical activity and subjective age. Our study shows the importance of pain experiences for momentary subjective age, whereas the role of momentary physical activity needs further exploration.

In current research, social relationships are increasingly recognized for their positive associations with cognitive outcomes in older adults. One of the most vulnerable groups for cognitive decline are very old adults (80+ years). However, they are relatively underrepresented in the field. Therefore, our study aimed to test if social relationships remain a protective factor against cognitive decline in very old age, using a representative sample from the Study of Quality of Life and Well-Being in North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW80+ Study). We hypothesized that social characteristics would be positively associated with global cognition and episodic memory cross-sectionally and would predict cognitive performance two years later. 1.207 very old adults were included in the representative, cross-sectional analyses, and 639 in the panel analyses. They were aged between 80 and 103 years and showed no signs of dementia. The associations between various social aspects and cognitive functions were investigated using hierarchical linear regression, controlling for relevant sociodemographic and health characteristics. Cross-sectionally, leisure engagement was positively associated with episodic memory (β = 0.53 [0.26, 0.79], p < .01) and global cognition (β = 0.50 [0.22, 0.79], p < .01), while overall network size was positively associated with global cognition (β = 0.04 [0.02, 0.07], p < .01). In contrast, we observed no associations between baseline social relationships and cognitive functions two years later. The findings suggest that while social relationships are associated with cognitive functions in very old age, short-term protective effects such as over two years may be less robust compared to other age groups.

The Mobile Device Proficiency Questionnaire (MDPQ) is a well-established, reliable, and valid instrument to measure basic and advanced mobile device skills among older adults. We offer a German adaptation of the MDPQ and report reliability and validity findings. A controlled translation procedure was applied. The translated scale was tested in two analytical samples with an age range of 50-95 years in 2020 (n = 548) and 2022 (n = 276). To assess reliabilities, internal consistencies and test-retest reliabilities are reported. To assess validity, we analyze the scale in the context of gender, age, and educational differences and its associations with measures of technology use and attitudes towards technology (convergent and divergent validity). The German adaptation of the MDPQ was found to be reliable and valid as the original version. The scale demonstrated an excellent internal consistency in both studies with α = 0.95 (study 2: α = 0.92) and ω = 0.95 (study 2: ω = 0.93). Subscale internal consistencies were all ≥ 0.65. Test-retest reliabilities with measurement waves 2 years apart showed excellent values (MDPQ full scale: r_tt = 0.84, p < 0.001). We also found the expected factorial structure of the scale, positive associations with education, mobile device use and technology attitudes, and negative associations with age. Women scored lower than men. The German adaptation of the MDPQ can serve as a useful tool to estimate mobile device skills in older adults in German speaking countries in a reliable and valid way, for example in survey research, research projects, and practice contexts. Translating and implementing the MDPQ in other European countries will help to further strengthen internationally harmonized assessments in technology and aging research.

Background: Multimorbidity is linked to poor quality of life, and increased healthcare costs, and multimorbidity risk is potentially mitigated by a healthy lifestyle. This study evaluated the individual and joint contributions of an extensive set of lifestyle factors to the development of multimorbidity.

Methods: A prospective study of 133,719 adults (age 45.2 ± 12.9, range 18-93 years) from the Dutch Lifelines cohort assessed the influence of lifestyle factors on multimorbidity, defined as having at least two of four major chronic diseases, using Cox regression models and population attributable fractions (PAFs). Lifestyle-related factors included diet quality, physical activity, TV watching, substance use (alcohol, smoking), sleep (duration, medication), stress (acute, chronic) and social connectedness (social contacts, marital status).

Results: Over a median follow-up of 3.4 years, 3687 (12.5%) of the 29,545 participants with a chronic disease at baseline developed multimorbidity, compared to 434 (0.4%) of the 104,174 without a chronic disease. Key lifestyle factors linked to multimorbidity included smoking, prolonged TV watching, and stress, with hazard ratios indicating a higher risk in both groups. Additionally, high alcohol consumption and inadequate sleep duration were found to increase multimorbidity risk specifically in those with a chronic disease. Lifestyle factors jointly accounted for 34.4% (PAF, 95%CI 28.8%-73.5%) (with baseline morbidity) and 55.6% (95%CI 17.2%-48.5%) (without) of multimorbidity cases, with smoking as the primary contributor.

Conclusions: Lifestyle factors, particularly smoking, alcohol consumption, TV watching, stress, and sleep, significantly contribute to the development of multimorbidity. The study underscores the importance of targeted prevention in public health and healthcare settings to manage and prevent multimorbidity.

Social exclusion (SE) and its detrimental health outcomes are a key concern in European policies. This study investigates whether childless older adults face a higher risk of SE compared to those with children, how these potential differences have evolved, and whether SE among childless older men differs from that experienced by childless older women. Children are perceived in most cultures as an insurance of social integration in old age. Delayed childbearing and falling birth rates in Western countries have raised concerns about the old age of those who remain childless and reach the last decades of their lives more socially excluded. The exclusionary risks of not having children may be gendered and different across time, but research on this topic is underdeveloped. The analysis utilizes data from the first (2002) and ninth (2018) rounds of the European Social Survey (ESS), focusing on participants aged between 65 and 74. The study reveals that childless older adults have fewer social meetings and engage in fewer social activities than parents. Findings are robust concerning time and gender, as the disadvantage of not having children compared to those with children is similar over time and for men and women. The results highlight that childless older adults face an elevated risk of SE.

Out-of-home mobility and social participation have been identified as resources to postpone frailty. We aim to examine the mediating role and specific contribution of social out-of-home activities in frailty prevention. Data from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) waves six (w6), seven (w7), and eight (w8) were used. Frailty was measured with the SHARE version of the Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS) with frailty states fit, pre-fail and frail. First, a mediation model with 13,456 fit participants aged ≥ 50 years in w6 was specified with social network size, loneliness (UCLA 3-Item Loneliness Scale), and lack of motivation (EURO-D) as predictors and number of performed social out-of-home activities in w7 as mediator variable on EFS-scores in w8. Age, education, gender, cohabitation, widowhood, urban environment, and country served as covariates. Second, we investigated the association of increasing social out-of-home activities from w6 to w7 with change in EFS-score from w6 to w8 using a linear mixed model with 17,439 participants in all frailty states. Direct effects of loneliness (w6) and lack of motivation (w6) on EFS-scores (w8) were partially mediated by social out-of-home activities (loneliness ß = 0.005; 95% CI = 0.003-0.008) and (lack of motivation ß = 0.014; 95% CI = 0.009-0.019). The linear mixed model revealed a significant effect of increasing social out-of-home activities (w6-w7) on reduction of EFS-scores (w8) (ß = - 0.21; 95% CI = - 0.29-0.04; p < 0.001). Social out-of-home activities appear to play a crucial role in frailty prevention, which could be used for future interventions.

The aging population in Europe is increasing, with growing ethnic diversity among older individuals due to migration. Public policies emphasize 'aging in place' to address financial challenges and reduce the burden on the healthcare system. However, research often overlooks the heterogeneity among older people, especially non-European migrants. Also, research on family caregivers' role in enabling 'aging in place' for older relatives with migrant backgrounds is limited, despite many older non-European migrants' preference for family care in comparison to long-term institutional care. This study aims to explore the experiences and perspectives of family caregivers in the context of formal and informal care and their preferences regarding the place of care for older family members with migrant backgrounds, particularly the Pakistani Ahmadiyya community in Norway. Eighteen semi-structured individual interviews and two group interviews were conducted in Urdu and English with nineteen female family caregivers of older relatives, ages 25-62, residing in Norway. The analysis yielded three main themes: (1) "Nursing homes are not for the ones who love their parents", (2) Preferences for home with the possibility of sharing care, and (3) Mismatch between family care needs and formal care. Family caregivers' perception of health services has a decisive impact on their older relatives' demand and use of formal health services, emphasizing the need for trust. Even though home care services were seen as a viable option, they should be adapted so that the family caregivers can use them and feel supported in enabling 'aging in place' for older migrants.

Job satisfaction has been found to increase with age. However, we still have a very limited understanding of how job satisfaction changes as people approach retirement. This is important as the years before retirement present specific challenges for older workers. We employed a time-to-retirement approach to investigate (i) mean levels of change in job satisfaction in the decade before retirement, and (ii) social inequalities and interindividual differences in change in pre-retirement job satisfaction. Data were drawn from the German Socioeconomic Panel Study (n = 2595). Latent growth curve modeling revealed that job satisfaction declined slightly as people approached retirement, with steeper declines in the very last years before retirement. However, the mean-level decline was very small. Education, age, health, region, marital status, and historical time, but not gender or caregiving mattered for level and change in job satisfaction before retirement. The findings demonstrate the importance of taking a time-to-retirement approach when examining experiences of older workers.

Falls are the most common cause of injury in older people, with consequences for the individual and society. With an increasing population of older people, falls and related costs are expected to increase. It is crucial to identify scalable and cost-effective interventions and subsequently reduce fall-related costs. The aim was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the Safe Step digital fall preventive exercise intervention over a period of 12 years and, in addition, to evaluate the impact of increased recruitment cost and decreased intervention effect. The intervention was evaluated in an observational study in a municipality context targeting community-dwelling older people of age 70 + . A Markov model with five states was used to model the cost-effectiveness of the Safe Step intervention and evaluate quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and fall-related costs from a societal perspective. By using data from a meta-analysis as basis for the estimated intervention effect, the Safe Step intervention was compared with a no-intervention alternative. The results showed that the Safe Step intervention dominated no intervention. In the sensitivity analysis with the most conservative estimate of intervention effect, the ICER was €7 616 per QALY gained. Hence, Safe Step showed to be a cost-saving fall preventive intervention in older people at risk of falling and potentially cost-effective even with a low estimated intervention effect. Future studies on efficacy of fall preventive digital interventions will contribute in precising effect estimates and enhance the validity of these cost-effectiveness results.