O4-06-03: Social support, verbal interaction, and cognitive function among middle-aged and older adults in the wisconsin registry for Alzheimer's prevention (WRAP) study

Objective: This study examined the association between childhood conditions and cognitive function among middle-aged and older adults in China. Method: We analyzed data from the 2011 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study ( N = 11,868). Cognitive function was measured by word recall, a test of episodic memory. We examined the association between childhood conditions and cognitive function among the middle-aged (45-59 years) and the older (60 years and older) adults separately, using multilevel linear regressions. Results: Indicators of childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and nutrition were significantly associated with memory performance among the middle-aged and the older adults in China. Adulthood SES, education in particular, accounted for some but not all the associations. The protective effect of childhood urban residence was stronger for middle-aged women than for middle-aged men. Discussion: Childhood conditions are significantly associated with mid- to late-life cognitive function in China. The strengths of the associations may vary by gender and cohort.

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Social Support Patterns of Middle-Aged and Older Adults Within a Physical Activity App: Secondary Mixed Method Analysis

JMIR Aging ◽

10.2196/12496 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. e12496 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Zakkoyya H Lewis ◽

Maria C Swartz ◽

Eloisa Martinez ◽

Elizabeth J Lyons

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Social Support ◽

Older Adults ◽

Social Interaction ◽

Emotional Support ◽

Mixed Method ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Promising Tool ◽

The Social ◽

Method Analysis

Background Physical activity (PA) is critical for maintaining independence and delaying mobility disability in aging adults. However, 27 to 44% of older adults in the United States are meeting the recommended PA level. Activity trackers are proving to be a promising tool to promote PA adherence through activity tracking and enhanced social interaction features. Although social support has been known to be an influential behavior change technique to promote PA, how middle-aged and older adults use the social interaction feature of mobile apps to provide virtual support to promote PA engagement remains mostly underexplored. Objective This study aimed to describe the social support patterns of middle-aged and older adults using a mobile app as part of a behavioral PA intervention. Methods Data from 35 participants (mean age 61.66 [SD 6] years) in a 12-week, home-based activity intervention were used for this secondary mixed method analysis. Participants were provided with a Jawbone Up24 activity monitor and an Apple iPad Mini installed with the UP app to facilitate self-monitoring and social interaction. All participants were given an anonymous account and encouraged to interact with other participants using the app. Social support features included comments and likes. Thematic coding was used to identify the type of social support provided within the UP app and characterize the levels of engagement from users. Participants were categorized as superusers or contributors, and passive participants were categorized as lurkers based on the literature. Results Over the 12-week intervention, participants provided a total of 3153 likes and 1759 comments. Most participants (n=25) were contributors, with 4 categorized as superusers and 6 categorized as lurkers. Comments were coded as emotional support, informational support, instrumental support, self-talk, and other, with emotional support being the most prevalent type. Conclusions Our cohort of middle-aged and older adults was willing to use the social network feature in an activity app to communicate with anonymous peers. Most of our participants were contributors. In addition, the social support provided through the activity app followed social support constructs. In sum, PA apps are a promising tool for delivering virtual social support to enhance PA engagement and have the potential to make a widespread impact on PA promotion. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01869348; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01869348

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Social Support Patterns of Middle-Aged and Older Adults Within a Physical Activity App: Secondary Mixed Method Analysis (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.12496 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Zakkoyya H Lewis ◽

Maria C Swartz ◽

Eloisa Martinez ◽

Elizabeth J Lyons

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Social Support ◽

Older Adults ◽

Social Interaction ◽

Emotional Support ◽

Mixed Method ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Promising Tool ◽

The Social ◽

Method Analysis

BACKGROUND Physical activity (PA) is critical for maintaining independence and delaying mobility disability in aging adults. However, 27 to 44% of older adults in the United States are meeting the recommended PA level. Activity trackers are proving to be a promising tool to promote PA adherence through activity tracking and enhanced social interaction features. Although social support has been known to be an influential behavior change technique to promote PA, how middle-aged and older adults use the social interaction feature of mobile apps to provide virtual support to promote PA engagement remains mostly underexplored. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to describe the social support patterns of middle-aged and older adults using a mobile app as part of a behavioral PA intervention. METHODS Data from 35 participants (mean age 61.66 [SD 6] years) in a 12-week, home-based activity intervention were used for this secondary mixed method analysis. Participants were provided with a Jawbone Up24 activity monitor and an Apple iPad Mini installed with the UP app to facilitate self-monitoring and social interaction. All participants were given an anonymous account and encouraged to interact with other participants using the app. Social support features included comments and likes. Thematic coding was used to identify the type of social support provided within the UP app and characterize the levels of engagement from users. Participants were categorized as superusers or contributors, and passive participants were categorized as lurkers based on the literature. RESULTS Over the 12-week intervention, participants provided a total of 3153 likes and 1759 comments. Most participants (n=25) were contributors, with 4 categorized as superusers and 6 categorized as lurkers. Comments were coded as emotional support, informational support, instrumental support, self-talk, and other, with emotional support being the most prevalent type. CONCLUSIONS Our cohort of middle-aged and older adults was willing to use the social network feature in an activity app to communicate with anonymous peers. Most of our participants were contributors. In addition, the social support provided through the activity app followed social support constructs. In sum, PA apps are a promising tool for delivering virtual social support to enhance PA engagement and have the potential to make a widespread impact on PA promotion. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01869348; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01869348

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Link Between Dietary Sodium Intake, Cognitive Function, and Dementia Risk in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Systematic Review

Journal of Alzheimer s Disease ◽

10.3233/jad-191339 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-27

Author(s):

Devi Mohan ◽

Kwong Hsia Yap ◽

Daniel Reidpath ◽

Yee Chang Soh ◽

Andrea McGrattan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Sodium Intake ◽

Dietary Sodium ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Dementia Risk

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INTEREST GROUP SESSION—ORAL HEALTH: COGNITIVE FUNCTION, SOCIAL SUPPORT, AND ORAL HEALTH STATUS AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN THE U.S. AND ABROAD

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.1265 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S349-S349

Author(s):

Bei Wu ◽

Stephen K Shuman ◽

Michele Saunders

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Older Adults ◽

Oral Health ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Health Problems ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Reciprocal Relationship ◽

Control Group ◽

Chinese Adults ◽

The U.S

Abstract There is an increasing awareness of the importance of oral health and its associated risk factors among older adults. This symposium includes four papers that address cognitive function, social support and oral health problems and symptoms among older adults in the U.S. and China. Lu and his colleagues examined the reciprocal relationship between cognitive function and complete tooth loss Chinese adults age 50+ using the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal study. The results show that there is a reciprocal relationship between these two indicators. The second paper used the Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago (PINE) and examined the associations between tooth/gums symptoms and changes in cognitive function in Chinese older immigrants. The results reveal that having teeth symptoms was associated with a decline in cognitive function. Using the same PINE data, the third paper examined the association between different characteristics of social relationships and the number of oral health problems among U.S. older Chinese adults. Wu and her colleagues conducted a partner-assisted pilot intervention to improve oral health for community-dwelling older adults with either mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia. The results of this 6-month intervention show that persons in the treatment group had more improvement in oral hygiene than those in the control group. Findings from these four papers illustrate that cognitive function, social support, and oral health are interrelated. This symposium highlights the importance of improving cognitive health, social support, and oral health for middle-aged and older adults.

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Direct Social Support and Long-term Health Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

The Journals of Gerontology Series B ◽

10.1093/geronb/gbt100 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 68 (6) ◽

pp. 933-943 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

E. J. Nicklett ◽

M. E. M. Heisler ◽

M. S. Spencer ◽

A.-M. Rosland

Keyword(s):

Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Social Support ◽

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

Older Adults ◽

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Middle Aged

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Social Relationships and Salivary Telomere Length Among Middle-Aged and Older African American and White Adults

The Journals of Gerontology Series B ◽

10.1093/geronb/gbx049 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 74 (6) ◽

pp. 1053-1061 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Karen D Lincoln ◽

Donald A Lloyd ◽

Ann W Nguyen

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Older Adults ◽

African American ◽

African Americans ◽

Telomere Length ◽

Social Relationships ◽

Biological Aging ◽

Common Mechanism ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Negative Interaction

Abstract Objectives A common mechanism underlying premature morbidity may be accelerated biological aging as reflected by salivary telomere length (STL). This study examined the extent to which social relationships, both positive and negative, can be protective or confer risk relative to biological aging. Method Data from the Health and Retirement Study and multiple regression were used to examine cross-sectional associations between STL, self-reported social support, and negative interaction (e.g., conflict, criticism) with family in a nationally representative sample of African American and non-Hispanic White middle-aged and older adults (N = 4,080). Results Social support from family was associated with shorter STL. Negative interaction with family had no main effect on STL but interactions characterized by high social support and more frequent negative interactions were associated with longer STL. Negative interaction with family was negatively associated with STL for African Americans and Whites but the magnitude of the effect was greater for African Americans. Discussion Study findings highlight the role of social relationships in physiological deterioration among middle-aged and older adults and identify a potential mechanism whereby race is linked to accelerated biological aging. Findings highlight the importance of considering positive and negative aspects of social relationships to understand the consequences of social connections for cellular aging in diverse populations.

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