Person, Place, and Time Effects on Cognitive Function Among Older People in Taiwan

Abstract Purpose Individual’s factors across time or combined with area characteristics related to cognitive function for older people have been widely explored, but little research examined person, place, and time effects altogether. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of individuals, cities, and time on older people’s cognitive function in Taiwan. Methods A nation-representative longitudinal individual data were from Taiwan Longitudinal Survey on Aging (TLSA) 1999-2015 panel data (analysis sample n=6349 persons, observations=12042). Cognitive function was scored 0-19. Individual’s factors included demographics, health conditions and health behaviors, mental health and stress, social support and social participation, etc. Eleven city-level indicators were based on 22 cities and data were from the government open data sources. Mixed linear modeling analysis was applied. Results Better cognitive function was significantly related to individuals’ working, ethnicity, younger age, better education level, better self-rated health, less psychological stress, receiving more emotional support, having higher economic satisfaction at the intercept. Sex, ethnicity, age, education, self-rated health, physical function, and social connectedness were significant at the time slope. When controlling for individuals’ factors, population density and green land were significant at the intercept and at the time slope. Interactions of individual- and city-level factors were not significant. Discussion Individual’s social participation and social support are protective factors of cognitive function for older adults. And an age-friendly environment providing appropriate cognitive stimulation and chances of social participation may be beneficial for cognitive function.

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Impacts of Social Participation on Self-Rated Health of Aging Women in China: With a Mediating Role of Caring for Grandchildren

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18115790 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (11) ◽

pp. 5790

Author(s):

Shuliu Tian ◽

Lei Xu ◽

Xiangling Wu

Keyword(s):

Social Participation ◽

Population Aging ◽

Positive Association ◽

Well Being ◽

The Elderly ◽

Policy Framework ◽

Social Activities ◽

Self Rated Health ◽

Aging Women ◽

The Government

Population aging is a global challenge and the degree of population aging is continuing to deepen in China. Under the active aging policy framework by WHO, great importance has been attached to aging women and participation is emphasized for the well-being of the elderly. This study aimed to investigate the relation between social participation and self-rated health status of aging women in China and whether caring for grandchildren mediated such an association. Adopting data from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), this study used Oprobit regression, propensity score matching (PSM), and instrument variable regression to estimate the effects. The result showed that there was a positive association between social participation and self-rated health among aging women in China, and social activities that directly made contributions to others had the most significant impacts on self-rated health. Furthermore, the mediator analysis confirmed that caring for grandchildren played a role between social participation and self-rated health. In conclusion, to deal with population aging challenges, the society should recognize the value of intergenerational care for aging women and the government need to strengthen policy supports to guarantee platforms and opportunities for the elderly to participate in social activities.

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Changes in Provision of Social Support among the Older Population in Nine European Countries during 2004—2015: A panel data analysis

10.21203/rs.2.20843/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Septi Kurnia Lestari ◽

Xavier de Luna ◽

Malin Eriksson ◽

Gunnar Malmberg ◽

Nawi Ng

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Older Adults ◽

Welfare State ◽

Older People ◽

Panel Data Analysis ◽

European Region ◽

Support Provision ◽

Study Results ◽

State Regime

Abstract Background : Providing support to others may be beneficial for older adults. As people age, their health and social relationships change. These changes may relate to change in social support provision as well. We examined the trajectory of social support provision by older people in three European regions throughout eleven years of follow-up. We then examined the extent to which age, gender, and region (represents welfare state regime) influenced the variations in the trajectory. Methods :Data collected from 8,354 respondents who had completed at least waves 1 and 6 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) was analysed. Social support provision was determined from asking a single question regarding whether the respondent provided help personally for people outside their household. Region, sex, and age were the main predictors tested. We used growth model to address the aims of this study. Results :The northern European region (Sweden and Denmark) had the highest odds ratio of providing social support. The likelihood of social support provision decreases by 10% yearly (OR: 0.901, 95%CI: 0.878,0.925) over 11 years of follow-up. Older respondents were less likely to provide support and their trajectories declined faster the younger respondents. Gender difference in social support provision was more apparent among younger older people in the southern European region. Conclusions : European older adults are important source of support, especially for their family. The probability of social support provision by European older adults declines over time. Age, gender and welfare state regime predict this trajectory.

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Social support and the self-rated health of older people

Medicine ◽

10.1097/md.0000000000003881 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 95 (24) ◽

pp. e3881 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Yue Dai ◽

Chen-Yun Zhang ◽

Bao-Quan Zhang ◽

Zhanzhan Li ◽

Caixiao Jiang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Older People ◽

The Self ◽

Self Rated Health

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The Association between Social Support Sources and Cognitive Function among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A One-Year Prospective Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16214228 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (21) ◽

pp. 4228 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Taiji Noguchi ◽

Ippei Nojima ◽

Tomoe Inoue-Hirakawa ◽

Hideshi Sugiura

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Older People ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Linear Regression Analysis ◽

Positive Association ◽

Japanese Version ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

One Year

There is evidence that social relationships may modify cognitive decline in older people. We examined the prospective association between social support and cognitive function among community-dwelling older people. Japanese adults recruited at health checkups in suburban towns were surveyed at baseline and one-year follow-up. Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Japanese version (MoCA-J). Social support from coresiding family, non-coresiding family, and neighbors/friends was assessed using self-administered questionnaires. Multivariable linear regression analysis was conducted to examine the effects of social support on MoCA-J scores at follow-up. Data were analyzed from 121 older people (mean age (standard deviation): 73.86 (4.95) years). There was a positive association between social support exchanges with neighbors and friends and MoCA-J scores at follow-up after covariate adjustment (unstandardized β = 1.23, p = 0.006). Social support exchanges with coresiding family and non-coresiding family and relatives were not associated with MoCA-J scores at follow-up (coresiding family: Unstandardized β = 0.28, p = 0.813, non-coresiding family and relatives: Unstandardized β = 0.51, p = 0.238). The provision of emotional support to neighbors and friends had the largest effect on MoCA-J scores. Our findings suggest that social support exchanges with neighbors and friends are protective against cognitive decline.

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The Association between Social Participation and Loneliness of the Chinese Older Adults over Time—The Mediating Effect of Social Support

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph19020815 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 815

Author(s):

Lijuan Zhao ◽

Lin Wu

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Older Adults ◽

Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽

Social Participation ◽

Mediating Effect ◽

Linear Modeling ◽

Chinese Older Adults ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Variation Characteristics ◽

Over Time

Based on activity theory, this paper employed data from the 2013, 2015, and 2018 waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey, and adopted Hierarchical Linear Modeling and longitudinal mediation analysis to explore the temporal variation characteristics of loneliness and the influence of social participation on loneliness in Chinese Older Adults, as well as the mechanism of them. The study found that loneliness among older adults overall was at a moderate level from 2013 to 2018 and increased over time, which may be related to decreasing social participation from year to year. Decreased social participation was associated with increased loneliness over time (β = −0.060, p < 0.001) and lower social support (β = 0.109, p < 0.001), which was associated with more loneliness (β = −0.098, p < 0.001). In addition, social support played a significant mediating role in the realization of social participation in alleviating loneliness. Social participation can not only directly reduce loneliness, but also reduce loneliness by increasing social support.

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Effects of a Group Program to Increase Cognitive Performance Through Cognitively Stimulating Leisure Activities in Healthy Older Subjects

GeroPsych ◽

10.1024/1662-9647/a000035 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

pp. 83-92 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Valentina A. Tesky ◽

Christian Thiel ◽

Winfried Banzer ◽

Johannes Pantel

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Function ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Older Persons ◽

Intervention Program ◽

Leisure Activities ◽

The Elderly ◽

Cognitive Stimulation ◽

Group Program ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Older Subjects

To investigate the effects of leisure activities on cognitive performance of healthy older subjects, an innovative intervention program was developed. Frequent participation in cognitively stimulating activities (i.e., reading, playing chess, or playing music) is associated with reduced risk of dementia. AKTIVA (active cognitive stimulation – prevention in the elderly) is an intervention program designed to enhance cognitive stimulation in everyday life by increasing cognitive stimulating leisure activities. The present study determines the effects of AKTIVA on cognitive function, mood and attitude toward aging in a sample of older participants from the general population. Several measurement instruments were used including the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS-Cog), the Trail-Making Test (TMT), and the Memory Complaint Questionnaire (MAC-Q). Initially, the sample consisted of 307 older persons (170 female, 72 ± 7 years). The intervention was evaluated with a randomized, controlled pre-post follow-up design. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: AKTIVA intervention (n = 126), AKTIVA intervention plus nutrition and exercise counseling (n = 84), no-intervention control group (n = 97). The AKTIVA intervention consisted of 8 weekly sessions and two booster sessions after a break of 4 months. Participation in the group program resulted in positive effects on cognitive function and attitude toward aging for subassembly groups. Older persons (≥ 75 years) showed enhanced speed of information processing (by TMT Version A) (F = 4.17*, p < .05); younger participants (< 75 years) showed an improvement in subjective memory decline (by MAC-Q) (F = 2.55*, p < .05). Additionally, AKTIVA enhanced the frequency of activities for leisure activities for subassembly groups. The results of this study suggest that the AKTIVA program can be used to increase cognitively stimulating leisure activities in the elderly. Further research is necessary to identify the long-term effects of this intervention particularly with respect to the prevention of dementia.

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