Journal of Aging and Health最新文献

Racial discrimination against Chinese immigrants to various countries worldwide has risen sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, but limited research exists regarding the pathways through which racial discrimination impacts older immigrants' mental health. This study explored the relationship of perceived discrimination to depression among older Chinese immigrants living in Aotearoa New Zealand, through pathways of chronic health conditions, language barriers, and COVID-19 risks while taking into account the effects of anxiety and loneliness. Descriptive and regression analysis was conducted from a convenience sample of 1159 older Chinese immigrants aged between 55 and 80. While there was no significant direct effect of perceived discrimination to depression, the results showed a significant indirect effect of perceived discrimination, chronic illnesses, COVID-19 risks, and language barriers on depression, which was mediated by anxiety and loneliness. Ageing policies and interventions must address anti-racism to reduce the social and health inequalities faced by older ethnic people.

BackgroundRetirement often increases time availability, promoting unpaid activities. Reforms delaying retirement may unintentionally reduce such contributions, with social and public health implications. This study examines how the retirement transition affects unpaid caregiving, grandparenting, and volunteering, with attention to sex differences.MethodsWe used 5-year panel data from the Italian Survey on Participation, Employment and Unemployment, focusing on individuals aged 55-65, employed at baseline. Adjusted logistic regression and propensity score matching were applied. Analyses included 4180 participants for caregiving, 658 for grandparenting, and 1026 for volunteering.ResultsRetirement was associated with increased grandparenting (OR = 2.08, 95% CI: 1.40-3.10) and volunteering (OR = 2.87, 95% CI: 1.75-4.70). No association was found with caregiving for people with disabilities. No significant sex differences emerged. Robustness checks supported the main findings.ConclusionRetirement is associated to greater involvement in grandparenting and volunteering. Policymakers should consider the potential social and health costs of reduced unpaid care when designing pension reforms.

ObjectivesThis study investigates whether neighborhood disorder has indirect effects on inflammation via health behaviors and whether the pathways vary by race and ethnicity.MethodsThe study sample came from the Health and Retirement Study in 2014 and 2016. Inflammation level was assessed with C-reactive protein. Neighborhood disorder and health behaviors were self-reported. Structural equation modeling was conducted to test the objectives.ResultsFindings revealed significant direct effects of neighborhood disorder on inflammation (B = 0.034, 95% CI: 0.009, 0.058) and indirect effects via physical activity (B = 0.010, 95% CI: 0.006, 0.014). Neighborhood disorder was linked to inflammation through physical activity among older White adults, but not among older Black and Hispanic adults.DiscussionInterventions to provide opportunities for physical activity may reduce inflammation levels among older adults living in neighborhoods with disorders. Future research may consider unique social experiences influencing inflammation among older Black and Hispanic adults.

BackgroundSocial frailty has not been studied in the Philippines, a Southeast Asian country with distinct sociocultural characteristics.ObjectiveTo (i) develop and validate the Social Frailty Index-Philippines (SFI-Phil), using all-cause mortality (up to 4 years) as the outcome and (ii) evaluate performance of SFI-Phil across age, sex, and residence.MethodsPerforming regression analyses on baseline and 4-year follow-up data from 5153 older adults aged 60+ from the nationally representative Longitudinal Study of Ageing and Health in the Philippines (LSAHP), we selected and validated a parsimonious model of social predictors.ResultsThe resulting 6-item SFI-Phil demonstrated satisfactory accuracy in predicting mortality up to 4 years (C-statistic 0.640, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.608-0.673) in a validation sample and across demographic strata, although better amongst 60-69 year olds, men, and urban residents.ConclusionSFI-Phil, developed considering Philippines's sociocultural context, can be used to assess social frailty among older adults in the Philippines.

ObjectivesThis study examines the bidirectional influences between functional disability and depressive symptoms in middle-aged and older couples, emphasizing the temporal dynamics and co-development of partners' experiences.MethodsLongitudinal data were drawn from the Health and Retirement Study (2002-2020), focusing on married couples (N = 4109 couples). Dyadic cross-lagged panel models and latent trajectory analyses were employed.ResultsFunctional disability had a stronger influence on depressive symptoms than the reverse. Spouses' disability trajectories were synchronized with similar baseline levels and rates of change, but synchrony did not predict depressive symptoms. Husbands' disability disproportionately affected wives' mental health compared to the reverse.ConclusionsThe findings elucidate the directionality underlying the relationship between depressive symptoms and functional limitations. Couples' functional disability development was synchronous. Tailored and targeted disability preventive interventions may have mental health benefits for both partners.

ObjectivesThis study examines whether social strain and support from various sources are associated with accumulation of chronic conditions in older adults.MethodsGrowth mixture modeling was used to investigate which network sources of support and strain were related to morbidity accumulation over 12 years among 5,321 individuals over age 50 in the Health and Retirement Study.ResultsHigher overall social support-comfort provided by others-was associated with a greater likelihood of belonging to the low morbidity trajectory class versus the high and increasing morbidity classes, but overall social strain-tense or conflictual interactions-was not. The source of support/strain mattered, and support from children was a more consistent predictor of trajectory classes than support from other sources.DiscussionThe importance of social support, particularly from children, suggests that psychosocial interventions could be developed and tailored to the children of older adults to promote healthier aging.

ObjectiveTo identify subgroups of midlife and older adults from the United States (US), defined by specific combinations of factors, who are more or less likely to meet age-specific sleep duration recommendations.MethodsParticipants (n = 3,124) aged ≥ 40 years were drawn from the 2011-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey cycles. The primary outcome was meeting age-specific sleep duration recommendations (7 to 9 hours per night) to promote optimal health. Signal detection analysis was used to identify subgroups, defined by combinations of socio-demographic, clinical, cardiometabolic, and behavioral factors, that predicted whether participants met age-specific sleep duration recommendations.ResultsThe mean age of participants was 58.3 (standard error = 0.3) years, with a mean sleep duration of 7.3 (standard error = 0.03) hours/night. Overall, 64.3% met the age-specific sleep duration recommendations. Eight subgroups were identified through signal detection, with race/ethnicity being the primary splitting variable. The subgroup most likely to meet the sleep duration recommendations (82.9%; 353/426) identified as Non-Hispanic White, had a poverty income ratio score ≥ 3.2 (indicating household income 3.2 times the poverty threshold), and had no history of trouble sleeping. In contrast, the subgroup least likely to meet the sleep duration recommendations (45.0%; 144/320) identified as racial/ethnic minorities, had a history of trouble sleeping, and engaged in less than 324 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week.ConclusionsFindings from this cross-sectional study highlight the importance of examining combinations of factors to systematically identify subgroups more or less likely to meet age-specific sleep duration recommendations for optimal health. Future research should explore how these factors change over time to inform public health strategies aimed at improving sleep health among US midlife and older adults, particularly those from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds.

Objective: Drawing upon the socio-ecological framework, this study examines whether the neighborhood environment moderates the relation between falling frequency and physical activity (PA) behavior among adults 55 years or older. Methods: At baseline, participants (N = 430) reported number of falls during the past 12 months and leisure-time PA during the past month. At follow-up, PA was assessed weekly using the Physical Activity Scale for Elderly for four consecutive weeks. We used the Bike Score^TM, Walk Score®, and Index of Relative Rurality to capture objective attributes of the neighborhood environment. Results: The relation between falling frequency and PA was negative and tended to be stronger for recurrent fallers who lived in a neighborhood environment that was less bikeable, less walkable, and more rural. Discussion: This study offers novel quantitative insights that underscore the importance of examining how personal and environmental factors combine to influence PA behavior in the context of fall prevention and management.

ObjectivesThis paper aims to apply a novel demographic technique to update - and extend to sub-national regions - estimates of the lifetime probability of admission to residential aged care.MethodsMaking optimal use of Australian data sources on aged care usage, mortality and population, this study adopts a two-population life table approach to produce an updated set of national probability estimates and first-time regional estimates.ResultsThe probability of admission generally increases with age: nationally, lifetime probability at age 65 is 50% for women and 37% for men, rising to 55% and 46%, respectively, at age 85. This general pattern varied somewhat across regions.DiscussionThe regional results point to inequities in the uptake of care, thereby informing providers, governments, aged care advocates and anyone interested in equity of access.

Objectives: Hearing difficulty is prevalent in older adulthood and projected to increase via global aging, particularly among men. Currently, there is limited research on how this gender disparity might vary by country. Methods: Using 2018 data (n = 29,480) from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) international family of studies, we investigate gender disparities in hearing difficulty among respondents ages 55-89 from the United States (n = 12,566), Mexico (n = 10,762), and Korea (n = 6152) with country-specific ordinal logistic regression models that progressively adjust for demographic, social, and health indicators. Results: In the United States, men's hearing difficulty disadvantage was consistently observed. In Mexico, men's hearing difficulty disadvantage was explained by the interactive effect of gender and age group but resurfaced after adjusting for comorbidities. In Korea, there was consistently no gender difference in hearing difficulty. Discussion: Our results highlight the heterogeneity in older men's hearing difficulty disadvantage among a diverse group of aging countries.