Incidents of Sexual Assault Against Older Adults: A Comparison Study

Property Crime ◽

Older Woman ◽

Private Location ◽

System Data

Sexual assault perpetrated against older adults remains understudied. This research examined sexual assault incidents perpetrated against older women and men (aged 60+) reported to law enforcement. It compared these sexual assault incidents with those committed against middle-age (aged 40–59) and younger (aged 18–39) women and men. National Incident-Based Reporting System data (1992–2015) were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression models. Findings showed incidents involving an older woman, relative to a middle-age and/or younger woman, were significantly more likely to involve stranger perpetrators, occur at a private location, and involve additional violent crime or property crime. Incidents involving an older man, relative to a middle-age and/or younger man, were significantly more likely to involve offenders of more than one sex, older offenders, stranger perpetrators, and additional violent crime or property crime. Results are discussed in relation to prior work and future directions.

Is there an association between ageist attitudes and frailty?

BMC Geriatrics ◽

10.1186/s12877-019-1357-y ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Douglas Salguero ◽

Juliana Ferri-Guerra ◽

Nadeem Y. Mohammed ◽

Dhanya Baskaran ◽

Raquel Aparicio-Ugarriza ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Logistic Regression ◽

Frailty Index ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Outcome Variable ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Frailty Status

Abstract Background Frailty is defined as a state of vulnerability to stressors that is associated with higher morbidity, mortality and healthcare utilization in older adults. Ageism is “a process of systematic stereotyping and discrimination against people because they are old.” Explicit biases involve deliberate or conscious controls, while implicit bias involve unconscious processes. Multiple studies show that self-directed ageism is a risk factor for increased morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to determine whether explicit ageist attitudes are associated with frailty in Veterans. Methods This is a cross-sectional study of Veterans 50 years and older who completed the Kogan’s Attitudes towards Older People Scale (KAOP) scale to assess explicit ageist attitudes and the Implicit Association Test (IAT) to evaluate implicit ageist attitudes from July 2014 through April 2015. We constructed a frailty index (FI) of 44 variables (demographics, comorbidities, number of medications, laboratory tests, and activities of daily living) that was retrospectively applied to the time of completion of the KAOP and IAT. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by multinomial logistic regression models with frailty status (robust, prefrail and frail) as the outcome variable, and with KAOP and IAT scores as the independent variables. Age, race, ethnicity, median household income and comorbidities were considered as covariates. Results Patients were 89.76% male, 48.03% White, 87.93% non-Hispanic and the mean age was 60.51 (SD = 7.16) years. The proportion of robust, pre-frail and frail patients was 11.02% (n = 42), 59.58% (n = 227) and 29.40% (n = 112) respectively. The KAOP was completed by 381 and the IAT by 339 participants. In multinomial logistic regression, neither explicit ageist attitudes (KAOP scale score) nor implicit ageist attitudes (IAT) were associated with frailty in community dwelling Veterans after adjusting for covariates: OR = .98 (95% CI = .95–1.01), p = .221, and OR:=.97 (95% CI = .37–2.53), p = .950 respectively. Conclusions This study shows that neither explicit nor implicit ageist attitudes were associated with frailty in community dwelling Veterans. Further longitudinal and larger studies with more diverse samples and measured with other ageism scales should evaluate the independent contribution of ageist attitudes to frailty in older adults.

Fall Worry Restricts Social Engagement in Older Adults

Journal of Aging and Health ◽

10.1177/0898264319825586 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 32 (5-6) ◽

pp. 422-431 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Namkee G. Choi ◽

Martha L. Bruce ◽

Diana M. DiNitto ◽

C. Nathan Marti ◽

Mark E. Kunik

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Logistic Regression ◽

Social Engagement ◽

Regression Models ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Health Related ◽

Reported Health ◽

Longitudinal Associations

Objective: To examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between (a) activity-limiting fall worry (ALW) and (b) self-reported health-related restrictions and social engagement among older adults. Method: The National Health and Aging Trends Study Waves 5 (T1) and 6 (T2) provided data ( n = 6,279). Binary and multinomial logistic regression models were used to examine association of T2 social engagement restrictions with T2 fall worry and association of T1–T2 changes in social engagement restrictions with T1–T2 changes in fall worry. Results: ALW was significantly associated with both informal and formal social engagement restriction at T2. Onset of ALW and continued ALW between T1 and T2 were also significantly associated with newly reported restrictions in both informal and formal social engagement at T2 even controlling for falls incidents and changes in health status and other covariates. Discussion: The findings underscore the importance of reducing fall worry and preventing social disengagement in late life.

IDENTIFYING THE TRAJECTORIES OF MULTIMORBIDITY AND THEIR CORRELATES AMONG KOREAN OLDER ADULTS

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.2565 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S697-S697

Author(s):

Sun Ah Lee ◽

Hey Jung Jun ◽

Susanna Joo ◽

Hye Won Chai

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Chronic Diseases ◽

Psychological Health ◽

Social Engagement ◽

Growth Mixture Modeling ◽

Older Adulthood ◽

Nationally Representative

Abstract Multimorbidity, the co-existence of two or more chronic diseases, has become prevalent among the older population. This study focused on identifying different patterns of multimorbidity trajectories across older adulthood and examining their predictors. We used six waves of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA), a nationally representative longitudinal data collected every two years from 2006 to 2016. The sample was older adults aged 65 years and older in 2006 (N=1,668). Multimorbidity was measured as the self-reported number of medically-diagnosed chronic diseases, and Growth Mixture Modeling was used to examine multimorbidity trajectories. Identified patterns of multimorbidity trajectories were then used as outcome variables in multinomial logistic regression models. Independent variables were socio-demographic, psychological, health-related behavioral and interpersonal factors at baseline. At Wave1, 76% of the sample had no or one chronic disease and 24% had two or more. At Wave6, 49% had none or one and 51% had two or more. Results identified four patterns of multimorbidity trajectory: “maintaining-low” (59.1%; reference), “maintaining-high” (7.3%), “moderately increasing”(26.4%), and “rapidly increasing” (7.2%). In terms of the correlates of these patterns, female older adults and respondents with higher depressive symptoms were more likely to be in the “maintaining-high” group. In addition, respondents who had less frequent meetings with friends, neighbors or relatives were more likely to be in the “rapidly increasing” group. The findings suggest that there are distinct patterns of multimorbidity trajectories across older adulthood, and interventions focusing on depressive symptoms or social engagement may be useful in preventing the increase in multimorbidity.

Cumulative exposure to air pollution and subsequent mortality among older adults in China

Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/pubmed/fdy154 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 41 (3) ◽

pp. 518-526 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jiaan Zhang ◽

Sara J McLaughlin ◽

Lydia W Li

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Air Pollution ◽

Air Pollutant ◽

Cumulative Exposure ◽

Chinese Adults ◽

Individual Level ◽

Older Chinese ◽

Older Chinese Adults

Abstract Background Research on the health effects of exposure to air pollution is growing. However, relatively little attention has been paid to the effects of long-term and cumulative exposure to air pollutants. Individual-level studies on the health consequences of air pollution in China are especially scarce. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of cumulative exposure to sulfur dioxide (SO2), an air pollutant of particular concern in China, on all-cause mortality in older Chinese adults. Methods Using a nationally representative sample of older adults in China (N = 11 199), we tracked mortality over an 11-year period (2000–11). Air pollution data were linked to respondents using provincial identifiers. To examine the effect of cumulative SO2 exposure on mortality, we employed multilevel multinomial logistic regression models that account for within subject clustering of observations over time and clustering at the province level. Results We found that every 10-μg/m3 increase in cumulative exposure to SO2 increased the odds of death by nearly 1% (OR = 1.008; 95% CI: 1.002–1.014), controlling for province- and individual-level social and economic characteristics. Conclusions Our analysis shows that air pollution is a risk factor for morality in older Chinese adults. Findings suggest that stronger SO2 regulations may enhance longevity.

The association between loneliness and medication use in older adults

Age and Ageing ◽

10.1093/ageing/afaa177 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Manav V Vyas ◽

Jennifer A Watt ◽

Amy Y X Yu ◽

Sharon E Straus ◽

Moira K Kapral

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

Regression Models ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Medication Use ◽

Opioid Analgesics ◽

Adverse Outcomes ◽

University Of California ◽

Logistic Regression Models

Abstract Background Loneliness is common in older adults, and it is associated with unhealthy behaviours, including substance use. We evaluated the association between loneliness and self-reported use of opioids and benzodiazepines in older adults. Methods We used data from the Canadian Community Health Survey’s ‘Healthy Aging’ sub-survey and included adults 65 years or older who administered their own medications. We classified individuals as lonely if they scored 6 or more on the three -item University of California, Los Angeles’s Loneliness Scale. We used multinomial logistic regression models, adjusting for demographics and self-reported comorbidities, to describe the association between loneliness and daily or occasional use of opioids, benzodiazepines and non-opioid analgesics. We also explored the association between loneliness and polypharmacy. Results Our cohort included 15,302 older adults, of whom 2,096 (13.7%) were classified as lonely. Daily use of opioids (4.1%) and benzodiazepines (1.7%) were less common than daily use of non-opioid analgesics (33.9%). Lonely older adults had higher daily use of opioids (odds ratio [OR] 1.61, 1.31-1.98) and benzodiazepines (OR 1.66, 1.21-2.28), but not non-opioid analgesics (OR 1.05, 0.92-1.19). Loneliness was not associated with occasional use of opioids, benzodiazepines or non-opioid analgesics in older adults, but was associated with polypharmacy (OR 1.27, 1.06-1.52). Conclusions Loneliness in older adults is associated with increased daily use of opioids and benzodiazepines. Further research should evaluate patient- and physician-level factors that mediate this association, and develop strategies to mitigate loneliness and its attendant adverse outcomes.

Favorite Activity Patterns Among Older Adults With and Without Dementia: Findings From the NHATS

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.939 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 293-293

Author(s):

Tianxue Hou ◽

Minhui Liu ◽

Christina E Miyawaki ◽

Yuxiao Li ◽

Xiaocao Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Relative Risk Ratio ◽

Dementia Screening ◽

Screening Interview ◽

Watching Tv ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract Favorite activities are usually meaningful and valuable to older adults. However, information on favorite activity patterns and their relationship with cognitive function from large samples is still limited. Using Round 1 data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study, we examined favorite activity patterns among community-dwelling older adults with and without dementia (N=6,565). Based on the 8-item Ascertain Dementia (AD8) dementia screening interview, participants were classified into no dementia, possible dementia, and probable dementia. Favorite activity was assessed by asking participants, “What their favorite activity they are currently able to do?” Multinomial logistic regression models were used to examine the association between each of the top three favorite activities and the cognitive impairment categories, controlling for demographics and general health. The sample was on average, 77±7.45 years old, non-Hispanic White (69.8%), female (57.3%), and 35.0% had high school education. The three most popular favorite activities among probable dementia participants were watching TV, walking, and outdoor maintenance. Participants who liked watching TV most were more likely associated with possible dementia (Relative Risk Ratio [RRR] = 1.49, p=0.044) compared to participants without favorite activities. Participants who liked walking most were less associated with possible dementia (RRR=0.58, p=0.003) and probable dementia (RRR=0.39, p<0.001) compared to those without favorite activities. Similarly, participants who liked outdoor maintenance most were less likely to develop possible dementia (RRR=0.48, p<0.001) and probable dementia (RRR=0.27, p<0.001) than participants without favorite activities. Researchers may use older adults’ “active” favorite activities to create tailored interventions to slow dementia progression.

CAUSE-SPECIFIC MORTALITY OF OLDER ADULTS WITH AND WITHOUT DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS

Journal of Aging Research and Lifestyle ◽

10.14283/jarcp.2016.82 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 1-3

Author(s):

P.D. St. John ◽

S.L. Tyas

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Causes Of Death ◽

Gastrointestinal Diseases ◽

Epidemiologic Studies ◽

Death Certificates ◽

Specific Mortality ◽

And Gender

Objective: To determine which causes of death are most closely associated with depressive symptoms. Methods: 1751 community-living older adults were assessed in 1991 and followed five years later. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies – Depression (CES-D) scale. Death certificates were reviewed independently by two reviewers. Multinomial logistic regression models were adjusted for age and gender, and constructed with specific causes of death as the outcome compared to the reference category of being alive at time 2. Results: Death certificates were available for 253 (59%) of the 429 deceased participants. Those with depressive symptoms were more likely to die from cardiovascular diseases, stroke, respiratory diseases and non-specific syndromes, but not from infections or neoplasms. There were few deaths due to neurologic, renal, and gastrointestinal diseases. Conclusions: Depressive symptoms may be associated with death due to cardiovascular disease, stroke and respiratory disease.

Mediterranean diet and changes in frequency, severity and localization of pain in older adults: The Seniors-ENRICA cohorts

The Journals of Gerontology Series A ◽

10.1093/gerona/glab109 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Rosario Ortolá ◽

Esther García-Esquinas ◽

Mercedes Sotos-Prieto ◽

Ellen A Struijk ◽

Francisco Félix Caballero ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Mediterranean Diet ◽

Antioxidant Properties ◽

Health Impact ◽

Population Based ◽

Pain Scale ◽

Relative Risk Ratio ◽

The Mediterranean

Abstract Background Although some components of the Mediterranean diet have shown benefits in pain risk through its anti-inflammatory/antioxidant properties, no population-based studies have investigated the effect of adherence to this diet on changes in pain over time. Methods We used data from 864 and 862 older adults recruited in the Seniors-ENRICA-1 and Seniors-ENRICA-2 cohorts and followed-up for 2.8 and 2.4 years, respectively. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was assessed with the MEDAS score at baseline. Frequency, severity and locations of pain obtained at baseline and follow-up were used to compute a pain scale. Analyses were performed using multinomial logistic regression models, and adjusted for the main confounders. Results Participants had a mean (SD) age of 71.5 (5.1) years, 36.8% were men and 78.3% had chronic conditions. In the pooled cohorts, compared with participants in the lowest quartile of the MEDAS score (lowest adherence to the Mediterranean diet), those in the highest quartile showed a higher frequency of pain improvement versus worsening (relative risk ratio [95% confidence interval]: 1.43 [1.03,1.99]). This association was also evidenced in two components of the pain scale: improvement in pain severity (1.43 [1.01,2.04]) and reduction in pain locations (1.54 [1.08,2.20]), but a tendency to pain frequency improvement (1.34 [0.92,1.93]) was also observed. The main contributors to these associations were high consumption of fruit and vegetables, and low consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. Conclusions A higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet was related to a subsequent improvement in pain characteristics in older adults, suggesting that improving diet quality may help reduce the high health impact of pain.

Spousal Educational Attainment and Sleep Duration Among American Older Adults

The Journals of Gerontology Series B ◽

10.1093/geronb/gbaa206 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Connor Sheehan ◽

Masumi Iida

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Older Adults ◽

Educational Attainment ◽

Sleep Duration ◽

Social Characteristics ◽

Short Sleep ◽

Highly Educated ◽

Interaction Terms

Abstract Objectives Sleep has consistently been shown to have a dyadic nature among married older adults; however, less is known about the influence of a spouses’ social characteristics on one’s own sleep. Focusing on older adults, we examined the association between one’s spouses’ educational attainment and one’s own sleep duration. Method We used the 2004–2018 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to analyze heterosexual married adults aged 50–84 (N = 89,180). Respondents reported typical sleep duration in a 24-hr period, which was categorized as short (≤6 hr), normal (7–8 hr), or long (≥9 hr). We fit multinomial logistic regression models predicting these categories of sleep duration and accounted for demographic, household socioeconomic characteristics, and health/health behaviors. Using interaction terms, we tested if the association varied by the respondent’s gender and educational attainment. Results Older adults married to spouses with college or more education had significantly lower relative risk of short sleep than those whose spouses had some college, high school, or less than high school education, net of the covariates including their own education. The benefit of higher levels of spousal education was significantly more protective against short sleep for women and more highly educated older adults. Discussion Older adults married to spouses with high levels of education reported more favorable sleep durations, but this benefit was significantly stronger for women and the highly educated which has important implications for their aging. These findings suggest that social inequality may condition the dyadic nature of sleep for heterosexual married older adults.

Association of cognitive impairment with frailty in community-dwelling older adults

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610213001841 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 155-163 ◽

Cited By ~ 50

Author(s):

Eun Sook Han ◽

Yunhwan Lee ◽

Jinhee Kim

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Older People ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Men And Women ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults

ABSTRACTBackground:Frailty is highly prevalent in older people, but its association with cognitive function is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to examine the association between cognitive function and frailty in community-dwelling older adults.Methods:Data were from the 2008 Living Profiles of Older People Survey, comprising 10,388 nationally representative sample aged 65 years and older living in the community in South Korea. Frailty criteria included unintentional weight loss, exhaustion, weakness, low physical activity, and slow walking speed. Cognitive function was assessed using the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination. Multinomial logistic regression models were constructed with frailty status regressed on cognitive impairment and subdomains of cognitive function, adjusting for covariates.Results:Those who were frail showed a higher percentage of cognitive impairment (55.8% in men, 35.2% in women) than those who were not (22.1% in men, 15.6% in women). Cognitive impairment was associated with an increased risk of frailty in men (odds ratio (OR) = 1.81, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.25–2.60) and women (OR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.25–2.30) even after controlling for all covariates. Among the subdomains of cognitive function, time orientation, registration, attention, and judgment were associated with a lower likelihood of frailty in both men and women after adjusting for confounders. Among women higher scores on recall, language components, and visual construction were also significantly associated with lower odds of frailty.Conclusions:Cognitive impairment was associated with a higher likelihood of frailty in community-dwelling older men and women. Total scores and specific subdomains of cognitive function were inversely associated with frailty.