Orofacial pain among Chinese older adults in the last year of life

Abstract The aims of this study were to examine the prevalence of orofacial pain symptoms and its associated factors in Chinese older adults in the last year of life. We retrospectively followed 1,646 participants (60 years or older) in the last year of life to death from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). The 6-month prevalence of toothache and jaw joint pain or facial pain for older adults in the last year of life to death were 14.1% and 4.5%, respectively. Older adults who had lower socioeconomic status, were smokers, and had any chronic disease tended to have orofacial pain symptoms. This study generated interesting but counterintutive findings that Chinese older adults who brusehed their teeth at least daily and those who had at least one natural teeth were more likely to have orofacial pain. It is important to include dental care as a part of end-of-life medical treatment.

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Risk Factors of Orofacial Pain Symptoms Among Older Adults at the End of Life

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.3048 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 832-833

Author(s):

Yaolin Pei ◽

Bei Wu

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Older Adults ◽

Oral Health ◽

End Of Life ◽

Orofacial Pain ◽

Oldest Old ◽

Chinese Older Adults ◽

Healthy Longevity ◽

Prevalence Of Pain ◽

Pain Symptoms

Abstract The aims of this study were to examine the prevalence of orofacial pain symptoms in Chinese older adults at the end of life, and to investigate risk factors related to orofacial pain. The sample derived from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), a national respresentative sample of the oldest-old. The results showed that the 6-month prevalence of pain when chewing or biting at the end of life was 11.1%, and the rate was 5% for jaw joint pain/facial pain. Lower SES, smokers, and having chronic diseases were associated with having orofacial symptoms. Unexpectedly, the results revealed that dentate older adults (retain at least one natural tooth) who brushed their teeth more often were more likely to have orofacial symptoms. Older adults have poor oral health, particularly at the end of their life. This study highlights the importance of improving oral health for vulnerable older adults.

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Association between eHealth Literacy and Health-Related Quality of Life among Chinese Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.19366 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Shaojie Li ◽

Yongtian Yin ◽

Lijun Chen ◽

Guanghui Cui ◽

Jiaqin Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Older Adults ◽

Mental Component Summary ◽

Health Related Quality ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Chinese Older Adults ◽

Ehealth Literacy ◽

Related Quality ◽

Health Related

BACKGROUND Older adults’ health literacy levels are crucial to improving health outcomes and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). However, the impact of eHealth literacy on HRQoL in older adults is unclear. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine the association between eHealth literacy and HRQoL of older adults and provide reference for the development of network intervention measures related to the health quality of life of the older adults. METHODS An anonymous cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1,201 adults aged 60 or older from Jinan, China. The eHealth Literacy Scale and Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) were used to measure eHealth literacy and HRQoL. We used linear regression to test the adjusted association between eHealth literacy and HRQoL. RESULTS Most participants (88.9%) had inadequate eHealth literacy. Lower eHealth literacy was related to older age ( F=12.618, P<.001), female gender( t=3.303, P<.01), living in rural areas( F=11.356, P<.001), having less education( F=59.084, P<.001), being unmarried, divorced or widowed( t=4.416, P<.001), having a lower family income( F=38.017, P<.001), living with others(χ2=4.319, P<.05), and not having health insurance( F=12.713, P<.001). There were significant differences across physical functioning( t=-4.862, P<.001), role- physical( t=-2.485, P<.05), bodily pain( t=-3.470, P<.01), general health( t=-4.449, P<.001), vitality( t=-3.498, P<.001), role-emotional( t=-2.654, P<.01), mental health( t=-4.150, P<.001), physical component summary( t=-6.350, P<.001) and mental component summary( t=-4.483, P<.001) between adequate eHealth literacy and inadequate eHealth literacy. After controlling for age, gender, and other covariates, adequate eHealth literacy was positively related to physical component summary ( beta=7.6, P<.001) and mental component summary(beta=4.6, P=.001). CONCLUSIONS This study showed that Chinese older adults with higher eHealth literacy were more likely to contribute to higher HRQoL. Thus, Older adults’ eHealth literacy levels need to be taken into account when formulating health education and promotion programs for older adults, especially when the expected outcome is to improve HRQoL.

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In the digital age: a systematic literature review of the e-health literacy and influencing factors among Chinese older adults

Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1007/s10389-021-01604-z ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yuxin Shi ◽

Denghui Ma ◽

Jun Zhang ◽

Bowen Chen

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Literature Review ◽

Influencing Factors ◽

Systematic Literature Review ◽

Digital Age ◽

Chinese Older Adults

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Sex disparities in cardiovascular health metrics among rural-dwelling older adults in China: a population-based study

BMC Geriatrics ◽

10.1186/s12877-021-02116-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Xiaolei Han ◽

Ziying Jiang ◽

Yuanjing Li ◽

Yongxiang Wang ◽

Yajun Liang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Cardiovascular Health ◽

Rural China ◽

Descriptive Analysis ◽

Population Based ◽

Baseline Survey ◽

Chinese Older Adults ◽

Face To Face ◽

Sex Disparities

Abstract Background Cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics among Chinese older adults are poorly understood. We investigated sex disparities in CVH metrics and their management among rural-dwelling older adults in China. Methods This community-based study included 5026 participants (age ≥ 65 years; 57.2% women) in the baseline survey of a multimodal intervention study in rural China. In March–September 2018, data were collected through face-to-face interviews, clinical examinations, and laboratory tests. We defined six CVH metrics (three behavioral factors—smoking, body mass index, and physical activity; three biological factors—blood pressure, total cholesterol, and blood glucose) following the modified American Heart Association’s recommendations. We performed descriptive analysis separately for men and women. Results Of all participants, only 0.8% achieved ideal levels in all six CVH metrics. Men were more likely than women to have ideal levels in all CVH metrics but smoking. Women had higher prevalence of ideal global (9.7% vs. 7.8%) and behavioral (18.3% vs. 9.5%) CVH metrics (p < 0.001), whereas men had higher prevalence of ideal biological CVH metrics (5.4% vs. 3.5%, p < 0.001). The prevalence of ideal global and behavioral CVH metrics increased with age in both women and men (p for trend< 0.001). Women were more likely to be aware of their hypertension and diabetes, and to receive antihypertensive treatment, while men were more likely to achieve the goal of high cholesterol treatment (p < 0.05). Conclusions The CVH metrics among older adults living in the rural communities in China are characterized by an extremely low proportion of optimal global CVH metrics and distinct sex differences, alongside poor management of major biological risk factors. Trial registration ChiCTR1800017758 (Aug 13, 2018).

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The 32-Item Multilingual Naming Test: Cultural and Linguistic Biases in Monolingual Chinese-Speaking Older Adults

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617721000746 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Clara Li ◽

Xiaoyi Zeng ◽

Judith Neugroschl ◽

Amy Aloysi ◽

Carolyn W. Zhu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

New York ◽

Test Performance ◽

Item Difficulty ◽

Chinese Older Adults ◽

Chinese Speakers ◽

School Of Medicine ◽

Consensus Conferences ◽

Linguistic Groups ◽

Naming Test

ABSTRACT Objectives: This study describes the performance of the Multilingual Naming Test (MINT) by Chinese American older adults who are monolingual Chinese speakers. An attempt was also made to identify items that could introduce bias and warrant attention in future investigation. Methods: The MINT was administered to 67 monolingual Chinese older adults as part of the standard dementia evaluation at the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), New York, USA. A diagnosis of normal cognition (n = 38), mild cognitive impairment (n = 12), and dementia (n = 17) was assigned to all participants at clinical consensus conferences using criterion sheets developed at the ADRC at ISMMS. Results: MINT scores were negatively correlated with age and positively correlated with education, showing sensitivity to demographic factors. One item, butterfly, showed no variations in responses across diagnostic groups. Inclusion of responses from different regions of China changed the answers from “incorrect” to “correct” on 20 items. The last five items, porthole, anvil, mortar, pestle, and axle, yielded a high nonresponse rate, with more than 70% of participants responding with “I don’t know.” Four items, funnel, witch, seesaw, and wig, were not ordered with respect to item difficulty in the Chinese language. Two items, gauge and witch, were identified as culturally biased for the monolingual group. Conclusions: Our study highlights the cultural and linguistic differences that might influence the test performance. Future studies are needed to revise the MINT using more universally recognized items of similar word frequency across different cultural and linguistic groups.

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Presence and Levels of Resilience and Its Sociodemographic Correlates in Older Chinese Americans

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1253 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 389-389

Author(s):

Jieyang Zheng ◽

Dexia Kong ◽

Mengting Li ◽

XinQi Dong

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Longitudinal Research ◽

Rank Order ◽

Chinese Americans ◽

Research Approach ◽

Protective Effects ◽

Chinese Older Adults ◽

Sociodemographic Correlates ◽

Older Chinese ◽

Older Chinese Americans

Abstract Resilience is defined as a personal quality that enables growth in knowledge, understanding and self-actualization in the face of adversity and life disruptions. Low levels of resilience can dispose older adults to higher risks for negative health outcomes in the aftermath of traumatic events. However, we have limited knowledge of resilience among minority aging populations. This study aims to examine the presence and levels of resilience and its sociodemographic correlates among U.S. Chinese older adults. Data were drawn from the Population Study of Chinese Elderly, an epidemiology study of U.S. Chinese older adults in the Greater Chicago area. Guided by a community-based participatory research approach, a total of 3,036 Chinese older adults aged 60 and above participated in face-to-face interviews from 2015 to 2017. Spearman’s rank-order coefficient was utilized to test correlation. A 10-item validated Chinese version of the Connor-Davidson resilience scale was used to assess resilience. In our sample, 59.7% were female, and the average age was 75. The mean resilience score was 26.9, ranging from 1 to 40. U.S. Chinese older adults who were younger, male, married, had higher education and income, fewer children, better health status and quality of life, and improved health and have lived fewer years in the U.S. reported higher levels of resilience. Future longitudinal research is needed to investigate the protective effects of resilience among older Chinese Americans against mental and physical distress.

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Social isolation, rather than loneliness, is associated with cognitive decline in older adults: the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291720001026 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Bin Yu ◽

Andrew Steptoe ◽

Yongjie Chen ◽

Xiaohua Jia

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Social Isolation ◽

Mental Status ◽

Chinese Older Adults ◽

Confounding Variables

Abstract Background Social isolation and loneliness have each been associated with cognitive decline, but most previous research is limited to Western populations. This study examined the relationships of social isolation and loneliness on cognitive function among Chinese older adults. Methods This study used two waves of data (2011 and 2015) from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study and analyses were restricted to those respondents aged 50 and older. Social isolation, loneliness, and cognitive function were measured at baseline. Follow-up measures on cognitive function were obtained for 7761 participants (mean age = 60.97, s.d. = 7.31; male, 50.8%). Lagged dependent variable models adjusted for confounding factors were used to evaluate the association between baseline isolation, loneliness, and cognitive function at follow-up. Results Loneliness was significantly associated with the cognitive decline at follow-up (episodic memory: β = −0.03, p < 0.01; mental status: β = −0.03, p < 0.01) in the partially adjusted models. These associations became insignificant after additional confounding variables (chronic diseases, health behaviors, disabilities, and depressive symptoms) were taken into account (all p > 0.05). By contrast, social isolation was significantly associated with decreases in all cognitive function measures at follow-up (episodic memory: β = −0.05, p < 0.001; mental status: β = −0.03, p < 0.01) even after controlling for loneliness and all confounding variables. Conclusions Social isolation is associated with cognitive decline in Chinese older adults, and the relationships are independent of loneliness. These findings expand our knowledge about the links between social relationships and the cognitive function in non-Western populations.

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