scholarly journals Trajectories of self-rated health in an older general population and their determinants: the Lifelines Cohort Study

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. e035012
Author(s):  
Marlies Feenstra ◽  
Barbara C van Munster ◽  
Janet L MacNeil Vroomen ◽  
Sophia E de Rooij ◽  
Nynke Smidt

ObjectivesPoor self-rated health (SRH) is a strong predictor of premature mortality in older adults. Trajectories of poor SRH are associated with multimorbidity and unhealthy behaviours. Whether trajectories of SRH are associated with deviating physiological markers is unclear. This study identified trajectories of SRH and investigated the associations of trajectory membership with chronic diseases, health risk behaviours and physiological markers in community-dwelling older adults.Study design and settingProspective general population cohort.ParticipantsTrajectories of SRH over 5 years were identified using data of 11 600 participants aged 65 years and older of the Lifelines Cohort Study.Outcome measuresTrajectories of SRH were the main outcome. Covariates included demographics (age, gender, education), chronic diseases, health-risk behaviour (physical activity, smoking, drinking) and physiological markers (body mass index, cardiovascular function, lung function, glucose metabolism, haematological condition, endocrine function, renal function, liver function and cognitive function).ResultsFour stable trajectories were identified, including excellent (n=607, 6%), good (n=2111, 19%), moderate (n=7677, 65%) and poor SRH (n=1205, 10%). Being women (OR: 1.4; 95% CI: 1.0 to 1.9), low education (OR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.5 to 3.0), one (OR: 10.4; 95% CI: 7.4 to 14.7) or multiple chronic diseases (OR: 37.8; 95% CI: 22.4 to 71.8), smoking (OR: 1.8; 95% CI: 1.0 to 3.2), physical inactivity (OR: 3.1; 95% CI: 1.8 to 5.2), alcohol abstinence (OR: 2.2; 95% CI: 1.4 to 3.2) and deviating physiological markers (OR: 1.5; 95% CI: 1.1 to 2.0) increase the odds for a higher probability of poor SRH trajectory membership compared with excellent SRH trajectory membership.ConclusionSRH of community-dwelling older adults is stable over time with the majority (65%) having moderate SRH. Older adults with higher probabilities of poor SRH often have unfavourable health status.

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thi Lien To ◽  
Ching-Pyng Kuo ◽  
Chih-Jung Yeh ◽  
Wen-Chun Liao ◽  
Meng-Chih Lee

Abstract Background: Frailty in older adults is a common geriatric syndrome that can be reversed, thus coping strategies for the aging population are essential. Self-management behaviours may represent cost-effective strategies to reverse physical frailty in community-dwelling older adults. This study aimed to describe the changes in frailty status among community-dwelling older adults in Taiwan and investigate the association of self-management behaviours with changes in frailty status over a four-year follow-up period (2007 to 2011).Methods: This data was retrieved from the Taiwan Longitudinal Study of Aging (TLSA), which is a prospective cohort study of 1,283 community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years and older without cognitive impairment. Frailty was assessed based on Fried's frailty phenotype, in which ≥ three criteria indicate frail. Self-management behaviours (maintaining body weight, quitting smoking, drinking less, exercising, diet control, and maintaining a regular lifestyle) were assessed using a questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the associations between self-management behaviours and changes in frailty status.Results: The prevalence of frailty was 8.7% at baseline and 8.1% after four years of follow-up, with 196 (15.3%) deaths. Overall, 74.6% of participants remained in the same state (non-frail or frail), 23.5% worsened (non-frail to frail, including missing data, and frail to death), and only 1.95% improved (frail to non-frail). Being aged ≥ 75-years-old, chronic diseases, and an absence of self-management behaviours were associated with higher risks of frailty at baseline and after follow-up. Exercise was significantly associated with a reversal of frailty in community-dwelling older adults (RR, 3.11; 95% CI, 1.95, 4.95) after adjusting for personal and disease covariates, regardless of whether death was coded as frail or not.Conclusions: Self-management behaviours beneficially reverse frailty status; maintaining regular exercise was especially associated with a reversal of frailty in community-dwelling older adults, even among individuals over 75-years-old and with chronic diseases. Older adults should be encouraged to perform adequate physical exercise to prevent the progression of frailty and ameliorate frailty status.


Author(s):  
Barbara Roux ◽  
Caroline Sirois ◽  
Marc Simard ◽  
Marie-Eve Gagnon ◽  
Marie-Laure Laroche

Abstract Background Non-optimal medication use among older adults is a public health concern. A concrete picture of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use is imperative to ensure optimal medication use. Objective To assess the prevalence of PIMs in community-dwelling older adults and identify associated factors. Methods A retrospective population-based cohort study was conducted using the Quebec Integrated Chronic Disease Surveillance System (QICDSS). The QICDSS includes data on drug claims for community-dwelling older adults with chronic diseases or at risk of developing chronic diseases aged ≥65 years who are insured by the public drug insurance plan. Individuals aged ≥66 years who were continuously insured with the public drug plan between 1 April 2014 and 31 March 2016 were included. PIMs were defined using the 2015 Beers criteria. We conducted multivariate robust Poisson regression analyses to explore factors associated with PIM use. Results A total of 1 105 295 individuals were included. Of these, 48.3% were prescribed at least one PIM. The most prevalent PIMs were benzodiazepines (25.7%), proton-pump inhibitors (21.3%), antipsychotics (5.6%), antidepressants (5.0%) and long-duration sulfonylureas (3.3%). Factors associated with PIM exposure included being a woman [rate ratio (RR): 1.20; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.20–1.21], increased number of medications and having a high number of chronic diseases, especially mental disorders (RR: 1.50; 95% CI: 1.49–1.51). Conclusion Almost one out of two community-dwelling older adults use a PIM. It is imperative to reduce the use of PIMs, by limiting their prescription and by promoting their deprescribing, which necessitates not only the active involvement of prescribers but also patients.


Author(s):  
Eunjin Jeong ◽  
Jung A Kim ◽  
Byung Sung Kim ◽  
Chang Kyun Lee ◽  
Miji Kim ◽  
...  

Anorexia is a relevant geriatric syndrome because it accounts for most malnutrition in older adults. Constipation has been suggested as a risk factor for anorexia. This study aimed to examine the association between anorexia and functional constipation in community-dwelling older adults. Data on 899 subjects aged 72–86 years were obtained from a follow-up survey of the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study in 2018. Anorexia was assessed using the Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire (SNAQ), while functional constipation was diagnosed based on Rome IV criteria. Anorexia and functional constipation were present in 30.9% and 19.6% of the participants, respectively. Age, female sex, chewing problems, malnutrition, polypharmacy, low Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) score, depressed mood, low serum albumin, and functional constipation were associated with anorexia in the univariate analysis. In the multivariate logistic regression, functional constipation was associated with anorexia (OR 1.478, 95% CI 1.038–2.104) after adjusting for age, female sex, and MMSE score. However, after further adjusting for depressed mood (OR 2.568) and chewing problems (OR 2.196), the relationship was no longer significant. This study showed that functional constipation is associated with anorexia in community-dwelling older adults, but this association is confounded by depressed mood and chewing problems.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Makino ◽  
S Lee ◽  
S Bae ◽  
I Chiba ◽  
K Harada ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective The present study aimed to examine the prospective associations of physical frailty with future falls and fear of falling (FOF) among community-dwelling older adults. Methods A prospective cohort study with a 48-month follow-up was conducted in a Japanese community. Participants were 2469 community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years or older who completed baseline and follow-up assessments at intervals of 48±2 months. Primary outcomes were recent falls (defined as at least one fall within the past year) and FOF (determined by response to “Are you afraid of falling?”) at follow-up survey. Physical frailty, operationalized by the frailty phenotype (slowness, weakness, exhaustion, weight loss, and low activity) based on the criteria of the Japanese version of the Cardiovascular Health Study (J-CHS), was also assessed as a predictor of future falls and FOF. Results Multivariate logistic regression showed that pre-frailty or frailty increase the risk of not only future falls (OR: 1.57; 95%CI = 1.20-2.05) but also FOF (OR: 1.33; 95%CI = 1.05-1.69). In addition, the relationship between baseline frailty status and future falls remained significant after adjusting for baseline FOF (OR: 1.55; 95%CI = 1.19-2.02), and the relationship between baseline frailty status and future FOF also remained significant after adjusting for baseline falls (OR: 1.32; 95%CI = 1.04-1.68). Conclusions Frailty status may predict future falls and FOF among community-dwelling older adults. Strategies to prevent frailty may be beneficial to prevent not only future falls but also future FOF in a community setting. Impact Falls and FOF have a close relationship but a different clinical meaning. Older adults with physical frailty may require monitoring as high-risk not only for falls but also for FOF.


2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 229-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chi Hsien Huang ◽  
Beatriz Arakawa Martins ◽  
Kiwako Okada ◽  
Eiji Matsushita ◽  
Chiharu Uno ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (15) ◽  
pp. 2685-2693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilse Bloom ◽  
Wendy Lawrence ◽  
Mary Barker ◽  
Janis Baird ◽  
Elaine Dennison ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveTo explore influences on diet in a group of community-dwelling older adults in the UK.DesignData were collected through focus group discussions with older people; discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and transcripts analysed thematically.SettingHertfordshire, UK.SubjectsParticipants were sampled purposively from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study, focusing on those whose diets had been assessed at two time points: 1998–2001 and 2011.ResultsNinety-two adults participated (47 % women; 74–83 years) and eleven focus groups were held. A number of age-related factors were identified that were linked to food choices, including lifelong food experiences, retirement, bereavement and medical conditions, as well as environmental factors (such as transport). There appeared to be variability in how individuals responded to these influences, indicating that other underlying factors may mediate the effects of age-related factors on diet. Discussions about ‘keeping going’, being motivated to ‘not give up’, not wanting to be perceived as ‘old’, as well as examples of resilience and coping strategies, suggest the importance of mediating psychological factors. In addition, discussion about social activities and isolation, community spirit and loneliness, indicated the importance of social engagement as an influence on diet.ConclusionsInterventions to promote healthier diets in older age should take account of underlying psychological and social factors that influence diet, which may mediate the effects of age-related factors.


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