scholarly journals Benefits of Volunteering for Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Comparison Between Types of Volunteering Activities

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 405-406
Author(s):  
Edwin K H Chung ◽  
Alfred H K Lam ◽  
Dannii Yeung ◽  
Ka Hung Edwin Chung
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Grip Strength ◽  
Hand Grip Strength ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Hand Grip ◽  
Effect Of Age

Abstract More middle-aged and older adults are often encouraged to volunteer (Gray et al., 2012). However, the effects of various volunteering activities on physical, psychological and cognitive health remain unknown. This study thereby aims to investigate such effects and the moderating effect of age in such associations. Data of 501 middle-aged and older Hong Kong Chinese adults (Mage = 53.06, SD = 4.55; and Mage = 70.46, SD = 7.34, respectively; range = 45 – 96) from a survey on Adult Development and Aging were analysed. Engagements in instrumental (e.g., food preparation, fundraising) and cognitively demanding volunteering (e.g., counselling, mentoring), hand-grip strength, life satisfaction, depressive symptoms, and cognitive functioning were measured. Factorial ANOVA revealed significant main effects of age group and volunteering type (F = 29.71, and F = 3.96, respectively, ps < .001), and an interaction effect of age and volunteering type (F =1.80, p = .03) on health outcomes. Comparisons among the four volunteering types (no volunteering, instrumental volunteering, cognitively demanding volunteering, and both types) revealed that individuals engaging in cognitively demanding volunteering had better hand-grip strength, life satisfaction, and cognitive functioning, and lower depressive symptoms than those who engaged in instrumental volunteering (all ps < .05). The health outcomes of instrumental volunteering were even worse than those who did not volunteer at all. These patterns were more prevalent in the middle-aged adults than in the older adults. Findings of this study indicated the beneficial effects of cognitively demanding volunteering, providing valuable directions for future programs on volunteering.

Benefits of volunteerism for middle-aged and older adults: comparisons between types of volunteering activities

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Alfred H. K. Lam ◽  
Dannii Y. Yeung ◽  
Edwin K. H. Chung
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Hand Grip ◽  
Middle Aged Adults ◽  
Main Effects

Abstract Volunteering is a popular activity among middle-aged and older adults as means to contribute to the society and to maintain personal health and wellbeing. While the benefits of volunteering have been well-documented in the current literature, it does not tend to distinguish between various types of volunteering activities. This cross-sectional study aims to compare the effects of instrumental (e.g. food preparation, fundraising) and cognitively demanding volunteering activities (e.g. befriending, mentoring) in a sample of 487 middle-aged and older Hong Kong Chinese adults. Participation in instrumental and cognitively demanding volunteering, life satisfaction, depressive symptoms, cognitive functioning and hand-grip strength were measured. The results of two-way between-subject robust analyses of variance demonstrated significant main effects of volunteering type and their interaction effect with age on life satisfaction and depressive symptoms. Comparisons among four volunteering groups (no volunteering, instrumental volunteering, cognitively demanding volunteering and both types) revealed that individuals engaging in instrumental volunteering exhibited lower life satisfaction and more depressive symptoms compared to those who engaged in cognitively demanding volunteering and those who did not volunteer at all. This detrimental pattern of instrumental volunteering was only seen in middle-aged adults, but not in older adults. Findings of this study revealed distinctive effects of two volunteering types, and provide valuable directions for designing future volunteering programmes.

scholarly journals Association between hand-grip strength and depressive symptoms: Locomotive Syndrome and Health Outcomes in Aizu Cohort Study (LOHAS)

2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 592-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norio Fukumori ◽  
Yosuke Yamamoto ◽  
Misa Takegami ◽  
Shin Yamazaki ◽  
Yoshihiro Onishi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Grip Strength ◽  
Hand Grip Strength ◽  
Locomotive Syndrome ◽  
Hand Grip

scholarly journals Effects of the association between APOE rs405509 polymorphisms and gene-environment interactions on hand grip strength among middle-aged and elderly people in a rural population in southern China

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haoyu He ◽  
Huaxiang Lu ◽  
Shuzhen Liu ◽  
Jiansheng Cai ◽  
Xu Tang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Grip Strength ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Rural Population ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Hand Grip Strength ◽  
Environment Interaction ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Hand Grip ◽  
Gene Environment ◽  
Significant Gene

Abstract Background Hand grip strength is a complex phenotype. The current study aimed to identify the effects of the association between APOE rs405509 polymorphisms and gene-environment interactions on hand grip strength among middle-aged and elderly people in a rural population in Gongcheng, southern China. Methods APOE rs405509 polymorphisms in 1724 participants (695 men and 1029 women, aged 45–97 years old) were genotyped using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS 21.0 and Plink 1.90. Results The APOE rs405509 G allele was associated with lower hand grip strength in all participants (β = −1.04, P value <0.001), and the correlation seemed to be even stronger among women. A significant gene-environment interaction was observed between APOE rs405509 and smoking, especially in men. The hand grip strength of male smokers carrying the GG genotype was significantly higher than that of nonsmokers (P value = 0.004). Conclusions APOE rs405509 polymorphisms might be genetic factors that affect hand grip strength in a rural population in Gongcheng, southern China. The APOE rs405509-smoking interaction has an impact on hand grip strength.

scholarly journals Regular Exercise and Depressive Symptoms in Korean Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 303
Author(s):  
Young-Mee Kim ◽  
Sung-il Cho
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Grip Strength ◽  
Multivariate Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Hand Grip Strength ◽  
Regular Exercise ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Hand Grip

Prior studies have found that exercise has a positive effect on depressive symptoms in the general population. For older individuals, however, the association between exercise and depressive symptoms is conclusive. We examined whether regular exercise is related to depressive symptoms in 5379 Korean adults aged ≥55 years using data from a 2016 survey administered in the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging. We used the 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies–Depression scale to assess depressive symptoms. We performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis to investigate the relationship between regular exercise and depressive symptoms, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, self-rated health, number of chronic diseases, body mass index, hand-grip strength, physical disability, cognitive impairment, and health behavior. Interaction terms, including regular exercise and health-related factors, were also added. We found that a lack of regular exercise was significantly related to an increased frequency of depressive symptoms (OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.03–1.35). Moreover, hand-grip strength may increase the effect of regular exercise on depressive symptoms in individuals 65 years and older (OR = 1.01 vs. 1.70, 95% CI = 1.05–1.96). Our results suggest that it is important to encourage older individuals to exercise regularly as a means of relieving depressive symptoms.

The Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Functional Polymorphism and Hand Grip Strength Impact the Association between Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Levels and Cognition in Older Adults in the United States

2022 ◽  
pp. 109980042110651
Author(s):  
Tingting Liu ◽  
Hongjin Li ◽  
Yvette P. Conley ◽  
Brian A. Primack ◽  
Jing Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Grip Strength ◽  
Mental Status ◽  
Neurotrophic Factor ◽  
Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor ◽  
Hand Grip Strength ◽  
Hand Grip ◽  
Serum Bdnf

Introduction Aging is associated with subtle cognitive decline in attention, memory, executive function, processing speed, and reasoning. Although lower brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been linked to cognitive decline among older adults, it is not known if the association differs among individuals with various BDNF Val66Met (rs6265) genotypes. In addition, it is not clear whether these associations vary by hand grip strength or physical activity (PA). Methods A total of 2904 older adults were included in this study using data from the Health and Retirement Study. Associations between serum BDNF and measures of cognitive function were evaluated using multivariable linear regression models stratified by Met allele status. PA and hand grip strength were added to the model to evaluate whether including these variables altered associations between serum BDNF and cognition. Results Mean age was 71.4 years old, and mean body mass index was 28.3 kg/m2. Serum BDNF levels were positively associated with higher total cognitive score (beta = 0.34, p = .07), mental status (beta = 0.16, p = .07), and word recall (beta = 0.22, p =.04) among Met carriers, while serum BDNF levels were negatively associated with mental status (beta = −0.09, p = .07) among non-Met carriers. Furthermore, associations changed when hand grip strength was added to the model but not when PA was added to the model. Conclusions The BDNF Val66Met variant may moderate the association between serum BDNF levels and cognitive function in older adults. Furthermore, such associations differ according to hand grip strength but not PA.

scholarly journals Hand Grip Strength and Gender: Allometric Normalization in Older Adults and Implications for the NIOSH Lifting Equation

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trish Gail Sevene ◽  
Joseph Berning ◽  
Chad Harris ◽  
Mike Climstein ◽  
Kent Jason Adams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Grip Strength ◽  
Hand Grip Strength ◽  
Hand Grip ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Niosh Lifting Equation

scholarly journals Lower Percentage of Fat Mass among Tai Chi Chuan Practitioners

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 1232
Author(s):  
Silvia Stagi ◽  
Azzurra Doneddu ◽  
Gabriele Mulliri ◽  
Giovanna Ghiani ◽  
Valeria Succa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Composition ◽  
Grip Strength ◽  
Muscle Mass ◽  
Fat Mass ◽  
Tai Chi ◽  
Hand Grip Strength ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Tai Chi Chuan ◽  
Hand Grip ◽  
Total Body

The aim of the study was to analyze total and regional body composition in Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) middle-aged and elderly practitioners. A cross-sectional study on 139 Italian subjects was realized: 34 TCC practitioners (14 men, 20 women; 62.8 ± 7.4 years) and 105 sedentary volunteers (49 men, 56 women; 62.8 ± 6.4 years). Anthropometric measurements (height, weight, arm, waist, and calf circumferences), hand-grip strength, and physical capacity values were collected. Total and regional (arm, leg, and trunk) body composition was analyzed by means of specific bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (specific BIVA). TCC practitioners of both sexes were characterized by a normal nutritional status, normal levels of physical capacity, and normal values of hand-grip strength. Compared to controls, they showed lower percentages of fat mass (lower specific resistance) in the total body, the arm, and the trunk, and higher muscle mass (higher phase angle) in the trunk, but lower muscle mass in the arm. Sexual dimorphism was characterized by higher muscle mass (total body, arm, and trunk) and lower %FM (arm) in men; sex differences were less accentuated among TCC practitioners than in the control. TCC middle-aged and elderly practitioners appear to be less affected by the process of physiological aging and the associated fat mass changes, compared to sedentary people.

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