scholarly journals Intrapair Comparison of Life-Course Appetite and Physical Activity in Elderly Danish Twins: Reliability and Association With Subsequent Survival

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 447-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura E. Løkkegaard ◽  
Lisbeth A. Larsen ◽  
Kaare Christensen
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Lifestyle Factors ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Life Course

Avoiding overeating and being physically active is associated with healthy aging, but methodological issues challenge the quantification of the association. Intrapair comparison of twins is a study design that attempts to minimize social norm-driven biased self-reporting of lifestyle factors. We aimed to investigate the association between self-reported lifestyle factors and subsequent survival in 347 Danish twin pairs aged 70 years and older and, additionally, to investigate the reliability of these self-reports. The twins were interviewed in 2003 and followed for mortality until 2015. They were asked to compare their appetite and physical activity to that of their co-twins in different stages of life. On an individual level, we found a positive association between current self-reported physical activity and late-life survival for elderly twins. This was supported by the intrapair analyses, which revealed a positive association between midlife and current physical activity and late-life survival. A positive association between lower appetite and late-life survival was found generally over the life course in the individual level analyses but not in the intrapair analyses. Kappa values for the inter-twin agreement on who ate the most were 0.16 to 0.34 in different life stages, and for physical activity 0.19 to 0.26, corresponding to a slight-to-fair agreement. Approximately, 50% of the twin pairs were not in agreement regarding physical activity, and of these twins 75% (95% CI: 67–82%) considered themselves the most active twin. These findings indicate a still-existing tendency of answering according to social norms, even in a twin study designed to minimize this.

scholarly journals Transpersonal Genetic Effects Among Older U.S. Couples: A Longitudinal Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 184-194
Author(s):  
Aniruddha Das
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Growth Models ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Genetic Effects ◽  
Genetic Associations ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Genetics Research ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Life Course

Abstract Background Emerging social genetics research suggests one’s genes may influence not just one’s own outcomes but also those of close social alters. Health implications, particularly in late life, remain underexplored. Using combined genetic and survey data, this study examined such transpersonal genetic associations among older U.S. couples. Method Data were from married or cohabiting couples in the 2006–2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, nationally representative of U.S. adults over 50. Measures included a polygenic score for educational attainment, and self-rated health. Analysis was through parallel process latent growth models. Results Women’s and men’s genetic scores for education had transpersonal linkages with their partner’s health. Such associations were solely with life-course variations and not late-life change in outcomes. Moreover, they were indirect, mediated by educational attainment itself. Evidence also emerged for individual-level genetic effects mediated by the partner’s education. Discussion In addition to the subject-specific linkages emphasized in extant genetics literature, relational contexts involve multiple transpersonal genetic associations. These appear to have consequences for a partner’s and one’s own health. Life-course theory indicates that a person is never not embedded in such contexts, suggesting that these patterns may be widespread. Research is needed on their implications for the life-course and gene–environment correlation literature.

scholarly journals AGENCY AS IDEOLOGY: PRECARITY AND DISEMBEDDEDNESS IN THE 21ST CENTURY LIFE COURSE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S589-S589
Author(s):  
wenxuan huang
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Transition To Adulthood ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Historical Time ◽  
Cultural Traditions ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Individual Agency ◽  
Transition Research ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Life Course

Abstract The “individualization” thesis has gradually merged into the discussion of increasing heterogeneity of the life course as well as growing inequality over historical time. As individuals are “disembedded” from both cultural traditions and more recently social institutions, individual agency has drawn revived interest in outlining “choice biography” that is seen as paramount to personal outcomes and even containing overcoming force against structure. This practice mutes the consideration of the ongoing forces of social structure that by their very nature continue to constitute individual selves and possibilities. The uncritical treatment of individual agency makes it problematic for the study of precarity, mystifying and obscuring the analysis of inequality-generating mechanisms, reducing them to the individual-level. We analyze current uses of the concept of agency in the life course research, and particularly in the areas of transition research, e.g., transition to adulthood/retirement, where individual agency is assumed to be most active.

scholarly journals Eurofound’s Reference Framework: Sustainable work over the life course in the EU

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-83
Author(s):  
Franz Eiffe
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Outcome Indicators ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Reference Framework ◽  
Research Priority ◽  
Work Outcome ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Life Course

Demographic change has triggered policy debates and responses across Europe. The need of keeping workers in employment longer is a consequence that requires rethinking new solutions for working conditions and career paths helping workers to retain their physical and mental health – as well as motivation and productivity – throughout an extended working life. Eurofound has titled the broad goal set out by this statement as ‘making work sustainable over the life course’. Identifying and analysing the factors and actions underpinning sustainable work throughout working life has been a research priority for Eurofound since 2013. In this article, the Eurofound reference framework of sustainable work is introduced and its components are discussed. In a first step, the rather expansive concept of sustainable work was illuminated by a framework that explains our approach and that has been used as reference point for a range of Eurofound research projects examining different aspects of sustainable work. Section 2 presents sustainable work outcome indicators on the societal and the individual level and provides some reflections of how those can be used jointly to map overall beneficial work environments for sustainable work. Section 3 investigates contextual factors such as infrastructures, workplace practices and job quality. The specific role of motivation is highlighted in section 4 based on empirical analysis. The paper closes with some conclusions and a policy outlook. 

Aging, sarcopenia and the life-course

2006 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 265-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avan Aihie Sayer ◽  
Cyrus Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Human Aging ◽  
Maintenance And Repair ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Disposable Soma Theory ◽  
Somatic Maintenance ◽  
Variable Capacity ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Life Course

There is growing support for characterizing human aging from a life-course perspective, in terms of recognizing important influences operating from conception to death, and this approach provides a framework for understanding aging processes operating at the individual level. Kirkwood's disposable soma theory proposes that aging is a manifestation of imperfect somatic maintenance and repair processes. We can therefore predict that differing exposure to the determinants of somatic damage across the life-course, and variable capacity to respond in terms of repair are likely to underlie the wide variation in rates of aging between individuals.

scholarly journals Biological determinants of physical activity across the life course: a “Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity” (DEDIPAC) umbrella systematic literature review

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katina Aleksovska ◽  
Anna Puggina ◽  
Luca Giraldi ◽  
Christoph Buck ◽  
Con Burns ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Birth Weight ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Methodological Quality ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Female Population ◽  
Strength Of Evidence ◽  
Biological Determinants ◽  
The Life Course

Abstract Background Despite the large number of studies and reviews available, the evidence regarding the biological determinants of physical activity (PA) is inconclusive. In this umbrella review, we summarized the current evidence on the biological determinants of PA across the life course, by pooling the results of the available systematic literature reviews (SLRs) and meta-analyses (MAs). Methods We conducted an online search on MEDLINE, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus databases up to January 2018. SLRs and MAs of observational studies that investigated the association between biological determinants of PA and having PA as outcome were considered eligible. The extracted data were assessed based on the importance of the determinants, the strength of evidence, and the methodological quality. Results We identified 19 reviews of which most were of moderate methodological quality. Determinants that were studied most frequently among all ages and demonstrated evidence suggesting a positive association to PA were younger age, being male, higher health status, and higher physical fitness levels. Among adults, normal birth weight was found to be positively associated to PA with convincing strength of evidence, while findings among adolescents were inconsistent and with limited strength of evidence. Conclusions Different social or behavioral factors may contribute to the decrease of PA with age and among females versus males, and creating programmes targeted at diverse ages, female population, and adults with abnormal birth weight is recommended. Future studies should use prospective study designs, standardized definitions of PA, and objective measurement methods of PA assessment.

scholarly journals Investigating Motor Competence in Association with Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity in 7- to 11-Year-Old Children

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. 2470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anoek M. Adank ◽  
Dave H. H. Van Kann ◽  
Joris A. A. Hoeboer ◽  
Sanne I. de Vries ◽  
Stef P. J. Kremers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Sedentary Behavior ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Body Height ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
Motor Competence ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Very High

Children’s motor competence (MC) has declined in the past decades, while sedentary behavior (SB) has increased. This study examined the association between MC and physical activity (PA) levels among primary schoolchildren. Demographics, body height and weight, MC (Athletic Skills Track), and PA levels (ActiGraph, GT3X+) were assessed among 595 children (291 boys, mean age = 9.1 years, SD = 1.1). MC was standardized into five categories: from very low to very high. PA levels were classified into SB, light PA (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). Mixed-model analyses were conducted with PA levels as dependent variables and MC as the independent variable, while adjusting for age, gender, and body mass index (BMI) z-score on the individual level. A negative association between MC and SB and a positive association between MC and MVPA were found. The strength of both associations increased as children expressed lower or higher levels of MC. MC is an important correlate of both SB and MVPA, particularly for children with very high or low MC. Developing and improving children’s MC may contribute to spending less time in SB and more time in MVPA, particularly for high-risk groups, i.e., children with low MC. Moreover, addressing MC development and PA promotion simultaneously might create positive feedback loops for both children’s MC and PA levels.

Healthy ageing across the life course

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Kuh ◽  
Rebecca Hardy ◽  
Catharine Gale ◽  
Jane Elliott ◽  
Yoav Ben-Shlomo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Healthy Ageing ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Optimal Functioning ◽  
Cognitive Capability ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
The Life Course

This chapter describes the Healthy Ageing across the Life Course (HALCyon) NDA collaborative research project, the aim of which was to investigate biological and social factors from early life that influence healthy ageing in later life. Healthy ageing was studied as optimal functioning at the individual level, in terms of physical and cognitive capability and wellbeing. The roles of lifetime socioeconomic circumstances, cognitive development and education, body size and diet were investigated, as well as underlying biology (the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, telomeres and genes). The project undertook: systematic reviews and meta-analyses of all available studies; comparative analysis using harmomised data across nine British cohort studies; in depth analysis of single cohorts with unique data; and qualitative interviews with sub-samples of participants from three of these cohorts.

scholarly journals Identifying and sharing data for secondary data analysis of physical activity, sedentary behaviour and their determinants across the life course in Europe: general principles and an example from DEDIPAC

BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. e017489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeroen Lakerveld ◽  
Anne Loyen ◽  
Fiona Chun Man Ling ◽  
Marieke De Craemer ◽  
Hidde P van der Ploeg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Data Management ◽  
Sedentary Behaviour ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Data Analyses ◽  
Sociodemographic Correlates ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Data Harmonisation

BackgroundThe utilisation of available cross-European data for secondary data analyses on physical activity, sedentary behaviours and their underlying determinants may benefit from the wide variation that exists across Europe in terms of these behaviours and their determinants. Such reuse of existing data for further research requires Findable; Accessible; Interoperable; Reusable (FAIR) data management and stewardship. We here describe the inventory and development of a comprehensive European dataset compendium and the process towards cross-European secondary data analyses of pooled data on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and their correlates across the life course.MethodsA five-step methodology was followed by the European Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity (DEDIPAC) Knowledge Hub, covering the (1) identification of relevant datasets across Europe, (2) development of a compendium including details on the design, study population, measures and level of accessibility of data from each study, (3) definition of key topics and approaches for secondary analyses, (4) process of gaining access to datasets and (5) pooling and harmonisation of the data and the development of a data harmonisation platform.ResultsA total of 114 unique datasets were found for inclusion within the DEDIPAC compendium. Of these datasets, 14 were eventually obtained and reused to address 10 exemplar research questions. The DEDIPAC data harmonisation platform proved to be useful for pooling, but in general, harmonisation was often restricted to just a few core (crude) outcome variables and some individual-level sociodemographic correlates of these behaviours.ConclusionsObtaining, pooling and harmonising data for secondary data analyses proved to be difficult and sometimes even impossible. Compliance to FAIR data management and stewardship principles currently appears to be limited for research in the field of physical activity and sedentary behaviour. We discuss some of the reasons why this might be the case and present recommendations based on our experience.

scholarly journals Learning to Run From Narrative Foreclosure: One Woman’s Story of Aging and Physical Activity

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 393-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meridith Griffin ◽  
Cassandra Phoenix
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Health Behavior ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Active Aging ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Aging Body ◽  
Linear Problems ◽  
Creative Analytic Practice ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Behavior Choices

In this article, the authors construct a story of one woman’s (Justine’s) experience of learning to run within the context of a beginners group. Building on existing scholarship on narrative, aging, and physical activity, this work is part of a larger ethnographic project examining subjective accounts of the physically active aging body across the life course. Concerned with often simplistically linear problems of representation, the authors present a messy text that represents the complex and fluid nature of Justine’s embodied tale. The aim is to show the intersection of biographical (storied) identity with health behavior choices and to interrogate the process of challenging narrative foreclosure. By using the emerging genre of messy text as a creative analytic practice, the authors avoid prompting a single, closed, convergent reading of Justine’s story. Instead, they provoke interpretation within the reader as witness and expand the ways in which research on aging and physical activity has been represented.

scholarly journals Body size throughout the life-course and incident benign prostatic hyperplasia-related outcomes and nocturia

BMC Urology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saira Khan ◽  
K. Y. Wolin ◽  
R. Pakpahan ◽  
R. L. Grubb ◽  
G. A. Colditz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Prostate Volume ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
Prostatic Hyperplasia ◽  
The Life Course

Abstract Background Existing evidence suggests that there is an association between body size and prevalent Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)-related outcomes and nocturia. However, there is limited evidence on the association between body size throughout the life-course and incident BPH-related outcomes. Methods Our study population consisted of men without histories of prostate cancer, BPH-related outcomes, or nocturia in the intervention arm of the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO) (n = 4710). Associations for body size in early- (age 20), mid- (age 50) and late-life (age ≥ 55, mean age 60.7 years) and weight change with incident BPH-related outcomes (including self-reported nocturia and physician diagnosis of BPH, digital rectal examination-estimated prostate volume ≥ 30 cc, and prostate-specific antigen [PSA] concentration > 1.4 ng/mL) were examined using Poisson regression with robust variance estimation. Results Men who were obese in late-life were 25% more likely to report nocturia (Relative Risk (RR): 1.25, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.11–1.40; p-trendfor continuous BMI < 0.0001) and men who were either overweight or obese in late-life were more likely to report a prostate volume ≥ 30 cc (RRoverweight: 1.13, 95% CI 1.07–1.21; RRobese: 1.10, 95% CI 1.02–1.19; p-trendfor continuous BMI = 0.017) as compared to normal weight men. Obesity at ages 20 and 50 was similarly associated with both nocturia and prostate volume ≥ 30 cc. Considering trajectories of body size, men who were normal weight at age 20 and became overweight or obese by later-life had increased risks of nocturia (RRnormal to overweight: 1.09, 95% CI 0.98–1.22; RRnormal to obese: 1.28, 95% CI 1.10–1.47) and a prostate volume ≥ 30 cc (RRnormal to overweight: 1.12, 95% CI 1.05–1.20). Too few men were obese early in life to examine the independent effect of early-life body size. Later-life body size modified the association between physical activity and nocturia. Conclusions We found that later-life body size, independent of early-life body size, was associated with adverse BPH outcomes, suggesting that interventions to reduce body size even late in life can potentially reduce the burden of BPH-related outcomes and nocturia.

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