Older Adults’ Perceptions of Physical Activity and Cognitive Health: Implications for Health Communication

2010 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna E. Price ◽  
Sara J. Corwin ◽  
Daniela B. Friedman ◽  
Sarah B. Laditka ◽  
Natalie Colabianchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
South Carolina ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
White Women ◽  
White Men ◽  
Cognitive Health ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Race Ethnicity

Messages promoting physical activity (PA) to maintain cognitive health (CH) may increase PA and enhance CH among older persons. This study examined older adults’ perceptions of PA and CH. We conducted 10 focus groups with irregularly active older Black and White women and men ( N = 55), ages 65 to 74 in South Carolina. Constant comparison methods compared themes by gender and race/ethnicity groups. Most participants perceived cognitive decline as a severe threat, and they were primarily concerned about losing their independence. Most reported feeling susceptible to cognitive decline. Although most recognized the link between PA and CH, several White men said the association was not clear. Participants recommended a wide range of PA amounts needed to achieve CH benefits. Many suggested that evidence of PA benefits for CH would enhance message credibility. Participants suggested messages be paired with social support to increase PA. Results suggest a need for evidence-based, credible communication promoting PA and CH.

scholarly journals Is adiposity associated with objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time in older adults?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenfei Zhu ◽  
Zhiwei Cheng ◽  
Virginia J. Howard ◽  
Suzanne E. Judd ◽  
Steven N. Blair ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Racial Differences ◽  
White Women ◽  
Sedentary Time ◽  
Sedentary Behaviors ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Objectively Measured

Abstract Background: Many older adults in the U.S. do not achieve the recommended amount of physical activity (PA) to fully realize a myriad of health benefits. Adiposity may be one of those important correlates of PA and sedentary behaviors. However, the full extent to which adiposity is associated with PA and sedentary time (SED) is uncertain. Therefore, we examined the association of adiposity with objectively measured PA and SED in black and white older adults. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of older adults enrolled in the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study 2003-2007 who participated in an ancillary accelerometer study 2009-2013. Assessment of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) was completed during an in-home visit in the parent study. PA was measured by ActicalTM accelerometers, which provided estimates of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA), light-intensity PA (LPA), and SED for 4-7 consecutive days. Data from accelerometers were standardized to square root percentages of total wear time per day (SqrtMVPA%, SqrtLPA%, and SqrtSED%). Interactions were tested for BMI and WC by race and sex, separately. Results: Data were available for 7,873 participants (69.8 ± 8.7 yr, 54.2% women, 31.5% African American). In mixed linear regression models, significant interactions existed in BMI by race and sex for the SqrtMVPA%, WC by race and sex for the SqrtMVPA% and the SqrtLPA% model(P<0.05). No interaction was significant for the logistic model of meeting the PA guideline or not. In subgroup analyses, BMI was inversely associated with SqrtMVPA%, SqrtLPA%, and positively related to SqrtSED% in black women, white men and white women after adjustments. Similar patterns were observed between WC and SqrtMVPA%, SqrtLPA%, and SqrtSED% in all groups, respectively. However, BMI was not associated with SqrtMVPA% in black men. Those with higher BMI or WC were less likely to meet the PA guideline in all groups. Conclusions: Adiposity was inversely associated with higher levels of MVPA/LPA and positively associated with higher levels of SED among black and white older adults. Prevention efforts aimed at promoting weight control may be beneficial to prevent physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyle among older adults.

Physical Activity and Cognitive-Health Content in Top-Circulating Magazines, 2006–2008

2011 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna E. Price ◽  
Sara J. Corwin ◽  
Daniela B. Friedman ◽  
Sarah B. Laditka ◽  
Natalie Colabianchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Popular Media ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Cognitive Health ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Physical Activity Recommendations ◽  
Activity Recommendations

Physical activity may promote cognitive health in older adults. Popular media play an important role in preventive health communication. This study examined articles discussing associations between physical activity and cognitive health in top-circulating magazines targeting older adults. 42,753 pages of magazines published from 2006 to 2008 were reviewed; 26 articles met inclusion criteria. Explanations regarding the link between physical activity and cognitive health were provided in 57.7% of articles. These explanations were generally consistent with empirical evidence; however, few articles included empirical evidence. Physical activity recommendations were presented in 80.8% of articles; a wide range was recommended (90–300 min of physical activity per wk). Socioeconomic status and education level were not mentioned in the text. Results suggest an opportunity for greater coverage regarding the role of physical activity in promoting cognitive health in popular media. Magazine content would benefit from including more empirical evidence, culturally sensitive content, and physical activity recommendations that are consistent with U.S. guidelines.

scholarly journals The Tenuous Attachments of Working-Class Men

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Edin ◽  
Timothy Nelson ◽  
Andrew Cherlin ◽  
Robert Francis
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Working Class ◽  
Child Support ◽  
Ethnic Difference ◽  
Metropolitan Areas ◽  
Ethnically Diverse ◽  
White Men ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Diverse Groups

In this essay, we explore how working-class men describe their attachments to work, family, and religion. We draw upon in-depth, life history interviews conducted in four metropolitan areas with racially and ethnically diverse groups of working-class men with a high school diploma but no four-year college degree. Between 2000 and 2013, we deployed heterogeneous sampling techniques in the black and white working-class neighborhoods of Boston, Massachusetts; Charleston, South Carolina; Chicago, Illinois; and the Philadelphia/Camden area of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. We screened to ensure that each respondent had at least one minor child, making sure to include a subset potentially subject to a child support order (because they were not married to, or living with, their child's mother). We interviewed roughly even numbers of black and white men in each site for a total of 107 respondents. Our approach allows us to explore complex questions in a rich and granular way that allows unanticipated results to emerge. These working-class men showed both a detachment from institutions and an engagement with more autonomous forms of work, childrearing, and spirituality, often with an emphasis on generativity, by which we mean a desire to guide and nurture the next generation. We also discuss the extent to which this autonomous and generative self is also a haphazard self, which may be aligned with counterproductive behaviors. And we look at racial and ethnic difference in perceptions of social standing.

Parsing out the “Hispanic Effect” in Disaggregated Homicide Trends at the Intersection of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender from 1990 to 2016

2020 ◽  
pp. 108876792093931
Author(s):  
Shytierra Gaston ◽  
CheyOnna Sewell
Keyword(s):  
Black Women ◽  
White Women ◽  
White Men ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Mortality Data ◽  
Homicide Victimization ◽  
Hispanic Men ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Ethnicity And Gender

This study contributes to homicide research by parsing out the Hispanic Effect and applying an intersectional approach to examining U.S. homicide victimization trends by race, ethnicity, and gender, jointly. Drawing on mortality data, we document and describe total, firearm, and non-firearm homicide victimization rates from 1990 to 2016 for six subgroups: Black women, Black men, Hispanic women, Hispanic men, White women, and White men. The analysis of within- and between-group homicide trends reveals important subgroup-specific patterns that prior studies using aggregate or confounded data have masked. The findings have important research, theory, and policy implications and advocate for an intersectional approach to studying homicide.

scholarly journals Changes in physical activity and cognitive decline in older adults living in the community

AGE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunhwan Lee ◽  
Jinhee Kim ◽  
Eun Sook Han ◽  
Songi Chae ◽  
Mikyung Ryu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Decline

scholarly journals Total daily physical activity and the risk of AD and cognitive decline in older adults

Neurology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (17) ◽  
pp. 1323-1329 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.S. Buchman ◽  
P.A. Boyle ◽  
L. Yu ◽  
R.C. Shah ◽  
R.S. Wilson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Daily Physical Activity

Physical Activity, Physical Fitness, and Cognition

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Etnier
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Causal Link ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Training Interventions ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Wide Range

There is substantial interest in identifying the behavioral means by which to improve cognitive performance. Recent research and commercial ventures have focused on cognitive training interventions, but evidence suggests that the effects of these programs are small and task-specific. Researchers have also shown interest in exploring the potential benefits of physical activity for cognitive performance. Because the effects of physical activity have been found to be small to moderate and to be more global in nature, interest in physical activity has been growing over the past several decades. Evidence regarding the efficacy of physical activity is provided through cross-sectional studies, longitudinal prospective studies, and randomized controlled trials. When reviewed meta-analytically, small-to-moderate beneficial effects are reported for children, adults, older adults, and cognitively impaired older adults, and these effects are evident for a wide range of cognitive domains, including executive function, memory, and information processing. Researchers are currently focused on identifying the mechanisms of these effects. Most of this research has been conducted using animal models, but there is a growing body of literature with humans. From this evidence, there is support for the role of changes in cerebral structure, hippocampal perfusion, and growth factors in explaining the observed benefits. Thus far, however, the literature is quite sparse, and future research is needed to clarify our understanding of the mechanisms that provide the causal link between physical activity and cognitive performance. Research is also focused on understanding how to increase the benefits by potentially combining cognitive training with physical activity and by identifying the genetic moderators of the effects. These lines of work are designed to elucidate ways of increasing the magnitude of the benefits that can be obtained. At this point in time, the evidence with respect to the potential of physical activity for benefiting cognitive performance is quite promising, but it is critical that funding agencies commit their support to the continued exploration necessary to allow us to ultimately be able to prescribe physical activity to specific individuals with the express purpose of improving cognition.

The Bidirectional Association Between Physical and Cognitive Function Among Chinese Older Adults: A Mediation Analysis

2020 ◽  
pp. 009141502094021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohang Zhao ◽  
Lei Jin ◽  
Skylar Biyang Sun
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Social Participation ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Reciprocal Relationship ◽  
Vicious Cycle ◽  
Chinese Older Adults ◽  
Bidirectional Association

This study investigated the bidirectional association between physical and cognitive function in later life and examined the mechanisms underlying the interrelationship. We employed cross-lagged panel models to analyze a sample of 4232 unique participants aged 65 years and older from three waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. Physical activity and social participation were tested as potential mediators between physical and cognitive function. Our findings revealed a reciprocal relationship between physical and cognitive function and a reciprocal relationship between physical and cognitive decline. Moreover, physical activity was confirmed to mediate the bidirectional association between physical and cognitive function, whereas social participation did not seem to be a mediator. A vicious cycle linking physical and cognitive decline may exist in Chinese older adults. However, leading a physically active lifestyle could be an effective intervention to slow physical and cognitive aging, thereby toning down the vicious cycle.

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