scholarly journals Do Control Beliefs Moderate the Relationship Between Function and Physical Activity?

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 401-401
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Teas ◽  
Elliot Friedman

Abstract Most older adults get far less than recommended levels of physical activity (PA), and interventions to improve PA have limited effectiveness. Barriers to PA include reduced physical function (PF) and diminished feelings of control, but their interactive influences on PA in older adults are unclear. Using two methodologies, the current study determined whether control beliefs modify the relationship between PF and PA. Data were from the second wave of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study; the sample was constrained to participants with PA greater than 0 (n= 955, mean age= 54.27). PF (grip strength, gait speed, and chair stands) was measured during a clinic visit. Participants were asked about routine PA, from which a Metabolic Equivalent of Task score was calculated, and the extent to which they believed they have control over their life (0-7 scale). In linear regression models, including interactions between control beliefs and PF variables, gait speed and control were associated with PA; none of the interaction terms were significant. The second model used a person-centered approach to explore the potential of non-linear relationships and differences in groups of people by creating typologies. The group with low control and slow gait speed had significantly lower PA than the other three groups. Results suggest nuanced associations among PA, PF, and control beliefs where feelings of control may compensate for slow gait speed in particular. They also support the use of person-centered approaches to identify non-linear associations between modifiable protective factors and key outcomes in aging research.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Katherine Huffman ◽  
Steve Amireault

Abstract Background and Objectives The overall purpose of this article was to investigate beliefs related to physical activity maintenance among adults aged 60 years or older. Research Design and Methods Study 1 identified modal, salient behavioral, normative, and control beliefs using a free-response format. Study 2 was designed to gain a deeper understanding about these beliefs through in-depth semistructured interviews. Results Findings indicate that perceived physical and emotional benefits, scheduling and having a physical activity routine, social support, and features of indoor and outdoor locations are facilitating of maintenance. Some beliefs appear more relevant to sustained engagement in physical activity, while others may be more helpful for reengagement after 1 week of inactivity. Discussion and Implications This investigation raises new hypotheses for future research and provides insight for the use and adaptation of behavior change strategies that are potentially more acceptable and effective for the promotion of physical activity maintenance for older adults.


2021 ◽  
pp. 089826432199656
Author(s):  
Laura Upenieks

Objectives: While there has been a recent surge in research on forgiveness and health, much less is known about the relationship between divine forgiveness and health. Methods: Using longitudinal data from the 2001–2004 Religion, Aging, and Health Survey from the United States, the current study assesses how changes in beliefs in God-mediated control, a perceived collaborative relationship with a divine power, affect the association between divine forgiveness and physical health among Christian older adults. Results: Older adults with consistently high beliefs in God-mediated control over the study period received stronger health benefits of divine forgiveness. Forgiveness by God also had a stronger relationship with health compared to forgiveness of self and others. Discussion: The findings underscore the importance of subjective beliefs about God. Future research directions are proposed to advance the study of religion and health in later life by conceiving of a more salient role for divine forgiveness.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 448-448
Author(s):  
Shenghao Zhang ◽  
Shevaun Neupert

Abstract Objective: Control beliefs are bidirectionally related to physical and cognitive health, but it is unclear how health influences control beliefs. Health-related experiences (physical symptoms and memory failures) on a particular day can make older adults more aware of their aging, and may subsequently lead to lower control beliefs. We propose that awareness of aging constructs (subjective age and awareness of age-related change [AARC]) could function as mediating mechanisms between health and control beliefs, and examine this relationship from both between- and within-person perspectives separately for domain-general and domain-specific control beliefs. Methods: Older adults (n=116) ranging in age from 60 to 90 (M=64.71) completed a nine-day daily diary study online, resulting in 743 total days. Participants reported their physical symptoms, memory failures, felt age, daily AARC gain and loss experiences, and control beliefs on Days 2-9. Results: Multilevel mediation results showed that between-person AARC losses mediated the relationship between physical symptoms and both domain-general and domain-specific control over physical symptoms. Between-person AARC losses also mediated the relationship between memory failures and both domain-general and domain-specific control over memory. AARC gains and subjective age did not mediate the relationship between health and control beliefs. Discussion: Our findings suggest that between-person differences in AARC losses function as underlying mechanisms linking health and control beliefs. Efforts to reduce AARC losses may lessen the negative impact of health problems on control beliefs for older adults.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 428-428
Author(s):  
Caitlan Tighe ◽  
Ryan Brindle ◽  
Sarah Stahl ◽  
Meredith Wallace ◽  
Adam Bramoweth ◽  
...  

Abstract Prior studies link specific sleep parameters to physical functioning in older adults. Recent work suggests the utility of examining sleep health from a multidimensional perspective, enabling consideration of an individual’s experience across multiple different sleep parameters (e.g., quality, duration, timing). We examined the associations of multidimensional sleep health with objective, performance-based measures of physical functioning in older adults. We conducted a secondary analysis of 158 adults (Mage=71.8 years; 51.9% female) who participated in the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) 2 and MIDUS Refresher studies. We used data from daily diaries, wrist actigraphy, and self-report measures to derive a composite multidimensional sleep health score ranging from 0-6, with higher scores indicating better sleep health. Physical function was assessed using gait speed during a 50-foot timed walk, lower extremity strength as measured by a chair stand test, and grip strength assessed with dynamometers. We used hierarchical regression to examine the associations between sleep health and gait speed, lower extremity strength, and grip strength. Age, sex, race, education, depression symptoms, medical comorbidity, and body mass index were covariates in each model. In adjusted analyses, better multidimensional sleep health was significantly associated with faster gait speed (B=.03, p=.01). Multidimensional sleep health was not significantly associated with lower limb strength (B=-.12, p=.89) or grip strength (B=.45, p=.40). Gait speed is a key indicator of functional capacity as well as morbidity and mortality in older adults. Multidimensional sleep health may be a therapeutic target for improving physical functioning and health in older adults.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 579
Author(s):  
Deborah Talamonti ◽  
Thomas Vincent ◽  
Sarah Fraser ◽  
Anil Nigam ◽  
Frédéric Lesage ◽  
...  

Cardiovascular fitness is linked to better executive functions, preserved gait speed, and efficient cortical activity. Older adults with cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) typically show poor cognitive performance, low physical fitness, and altered brain functioning compared with healthy individuals. In the current study, the impact of regular physical activity on cognition, locomotion, and brain functions was explored in a cohort of older adults with low or high CVRFs. Cortical activation of the frontal areas was investigated using functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) at baseline, at 6 months and at 12 months. Evoked cortical response and behavioral performance were assessed using the dual-task walking paradigm, consisting of three conditions: single cognitive task (2-back task), single walking task (walking), and dual-task (2-back whilst walking). Results show greater task-related cortical response at baseline in individuals with high CVRFs compared to those with low CVRFs. Moreover, participants with high CVRFs benefitted the most from participating in regular physical activity, as their cortical response decreased at the 12-month follow-up and became comparable to that of participants with low CVRFs. These changes were observed in conjunction with improved cognitive performance and stable gait speed throughout the 12-month period in both groups. Our findings provide evidence that participation in regular physical activity may be especially beneficial in individuals with CVRFs by promoting brain and cognitive health, thus potentially contributing to prevention of cognitive decline. Future research may explore whether such effects are maintained in the long-term in order to design ad-hoc interventions in this specific population.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 3415
Author(s):  
Hursuong Vongsachang ◽  
Aleksandra Mihailovic ◽  
Jian-Yu E ◽  
David S. Friedman ◽  
Sheila K. West ◽  
...  

Understanding periods of the year associated with higher risk for falling and less physical activity may guide fall prevention and activity promotion for older adults. We examined the relationship between weather and seasons on falls and physical activity in a three-year cohort of older adults with glaucoma. Participants recorded falls information via monthly calendars and participated in four one-week accelerometer trials (baseline and per study year). Across 240 participants, there were 406 falls recorded over 7569 person-months, of which 163 were injurious (40%). In separate multivariable regression models incorporating generalized estimating equations, temperature, precipitation, and seasons were not significantly associated with the odds of falling, average daily steps, or average daily active minutes. However, every 10 °C increase in average daily temperature was associated with 24% higher odds of a fall being injurious, as opposed to non-injurious (p = 0.04). The odds of an injurious fall occurring outdoors, as opposed to indoors, were greater with higher average temperatures (OR per 10 °C = 1.46, p = 0.03) and with the summer season (OR = 2.69 vs. winter, p = 0.03). Falls and physical activity should be understood as year-round issues for older adults, although the likelihood of injury and the location of fall-related injuries may change with warmer season and temperatures.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 17-17
Author(s):  
Yifan Lou ◽  
Nan Jiang ◽  
Katherine Ornstein

Abstract Background: Quality of life (QoL) during last stage of life has raised expanded interests as an important aspect of person-centered care. Last place of care (LPC), refer to the last place decedents received their formal end-of-life care (EOLC), has been identified as a key indicator of older adults’ end-of-life QoL, but the relationship was understudied. This study explores the association between LPC and end-of-life QoL among American older adults. Methods: Data used seven waves of Last Month of Life data with a total sample of 3068 Medicare decedents in NHATS. Outcome is end-of-life QoL assessed by eleven measures on four domains: pain and symptoms management (SP), quality of healthcare encounter (HE), person-centered care (PC), and overall quality of care (QC). LPC was categorized into home, hospital, nursing home, and residential hospice. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to examine the relationship with covariates. Results: LPC varied by most demographic characteristics, except immigration status and education. Older adults whose LPC is hospital, compared to those who had home-care, were less likely to have great experiences on HE, PC, and QC. People dying at nursing homes are more likely to receive care meeting their dyspnea and spiritual needs. Residential hospice is negatively related to respected care, clear coordination, and keeping family informed, but are more likely to provide PS and spiritual care. Discussion: Home-based end-of-life care has certain advantages but still has room to improve on SP and religious concerns. Hospitals should keep reforming their service delivery structure to improve patients’ QoL.


Author(s):  
Maria Priscila Wermelinger Ávila ◽  
Jimilly Caputo Corrêa ◽  
Alessandra Lamas Granero Lucchetti ◽  
Giancarlo Lucchetti

The aim of this study was to longitudinally investigate the association between resilience and mental health in older adults and to determine the influence of physical activity on this relationship. A total of 291 older adults were included in a 2-year follow-up study. Adjusted linear regression models evaluated the association between resilience at baseline and mental health after 2 years in sufficiently and insufficiently physically active older adults. A negative correlation was found between resilience at baseline and depression, anxiety, and stress after 2 years for the overall sample. This association changed after stratifying the group. Sufficiently physically active individuals made greater use of the resilience components “Self-Sufficiency” and “Perseverance,” whereas insufficiently physically active individuals made greater use of “Meaning of Life” and “Existential Singularity.” Physical activity can influence the relationship between resilience and mental health. These results can help guide the devising of more effective interventions for this age group.


Author(s):  
J.J. Aziz ◽  
K.F. Reid ◽  
J.A. Batsis ◽  
R.A. Fielding

Background: Older adults living in rural areas suffer from health inequities compared to their urban counterparts. These include comorbidity burden, poor diet, and physical inactivity, which are also risk factors for sarcopenia, for which muscle weakness and slow gait speed are domains. To date, no study has examined urban-rural differences in the prevalence of muscle weakness and slow gait speed in older adults living in the United States. Objective: To compare the prevalence of grip strength weakness and slow gait speed between urban and rural older adults living in the United States. Design: A cross-sectional, secondary data analysis of two cohorts from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), using gait speed or grip strength data, and urban-rural residency, dietary, examination, questionnaire and demographic data. Participants: 2,923 adults (≥ 60 yrs.). Measures: Grip weakness was defined as either, an absolute grip strength of <35 kg. and <20 kg. or grip strength divided by body mass index (GripBMI) of <1.05 and <0.79 for men and women, respectively. Slow gait speed was defined as a usual gait speed of ≤0.8m/s. Results: The prevalence of GripBMI weakness was significantly higher in urban compared to rural participants (27.4% vs. 19.2%; p=0.001), whereas their absolute grip strength was lower (31.75(±0.45) vs. 33.73(±0.48)). No urban-rural differences in gait speed were observed. Conclusions: Older adults residing in urban regions of the United States were weaker compared to their rural counterparts. This report is the first to describe urban-rural differences in handgrip strength and slow gait speed in older adults living in the United States.


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