Prevalence of frailty among community dwelling older adults in receipt of low level home support: a cross-sectional analysis of the North Dublin Cohort

Dairy products (DP) are part of a food group that may contribute to the prevention of physical frailty. We aimed to investigate DP exposure, including total DP, milk, fresh DP and cheese, and their cross-sectional and prospective associations with physical frailty in community-dwelling older adults. The cross-sectional analysis was carried out on 1490 participants from the Three-City Bordeaux cohort. The 10-year frailty risk was examined in 823 initially non-frail participants. A food frequency questionnaire was used to assess DP exposure. Physical frailty was defined as the presence of at least 3 out of 5 criteria of the frailty phenotype: weight loss, exhaustion, slowness, weakness, and low physical activity. Among others, diet quality and protein intake were considered as confounders. The baseline mean age of participants was 74.1 y and 61% were females. Frailty prevalence and incidence were 4.2% and 18.2%, respectively. No significant associations were observed between consumption of total DP or DP sub-types and frailty prevalence or incidence (OR = 1.40, 95%CI 0.65–3.01 and OR = 1.75, 95%CI 0.42–1.32, for a total DP consumption >4 times/d, respectively). Despite the absence of beneficial associations of higher DP consumption on frailty, older adults are encouraged to follow the national recommendations regarding DP.

Download Full-text

A Frailty Index from Next-of-Kin Data: A Cross-Sectional Analysis from the Mexican Health and Aging Study

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2017/6069374 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Mario Ulises Pérez-Zepeda ◽

Matteo Cesari ◽

María Fernanda Carrillo-Vega ◽

Guillermo Salinas-Escudero ◽

Pamela Tella-Vega ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Frailty Index ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Next Of Kin ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Cross Sectional Analysis ◽

Aging Study ◽

The Mean ◽

Number Of Visits ◽

Sectional Analysis

Objectives. To construct a frailty index from next-of-kin information of the last year of life of community-dwelling 50 years old or older adults and test its association with health services utilization. Methods. Cross-sectional analysis from next-of-kin data available from the last wave of the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS). Measurements. Along with descriptive statistics, the frailty index (FI) was tested in regression models to assess its association with adverse outcomes previous to death: number of hospitalized days in the previous year and number of visits to a physician in the previous year, in unadjusted and adjusted models. Results. From a total of 2,649 individuals the mean of age was 74.8 (±11.4) and 56.3% (n = 1,183) were women. The mean of the FI was of 0.279 (±SD 0.131, R = 0.0–0.738) and distribution was biased to the right. There was a significant association (p < 0.001) between the FI and number of hospitalized days (β = 45.7, 95% CI 36.1–55.4, p < 0.001) and for the number of visits to a physician (β = 25.93, 95% CI 19.27–32.6, p < 0.001) both models adjusted for age and sex. Conclusion. The FI constructed with next-of-kin data showed similar characteristics to similar indexes of older adults. It was independently associated with health care use.

Download Full-text

Purpose, Frequency, and Mode of Transport by Which Older Adults Leave Their Home—A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Journal of Aging and Physical Activity ◽

10.1123/japa.2018-0242 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 27 (5) ◽

pp. 688-695

Author(s):

A. Stefanie Mikolaizak ◽

Jochen Klenk ◽

Dietrich Rothenbacher ◽

Michael D. Denkinger ◽

Kilian Rapp ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Leaving Home ◽

Social Contacts ◽

Time Out ◽

Mode Of Transport ◽

Sectional Analysis ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults

Time spent out-of-home can increase physical activity (PA) levels. However, the association between the purpose for leaving home and the mode of transport on time out-of-home and PA are not straightforward. In a large sample of community-dwelling older adults (≥65 years), daily walking duration was measured prospectively over 1 week using body-fixed sensors and time-out-of-home questionnaires. Data from 1,277 participants yielded 6,500 full days for analysis. The following statistically significant associations were seen: public transport use increased the time spent out-of-home by 88 min and daily walking duration by 16 min. Social contacts or the use of a car increased the time out-of-home, but decreased PA. Shopping or “going by foot” decreased the time spent out-of-home by 19 and 62 min, respectively, while both increased the daily walking duration by 5 min. The association between time out-of-home and PA (daily walking duration) is strongly dependent on the activity and mode of transport.

Download Full-text

Sarcopenia and Undernutrition Among Portuguese Older Adults: Results From Nutrition UP 65 Study

Food and Nutrition Bulletin ◽

10.1177/0379572118765801 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

pp. 487-492 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ana Rita Sousa-Santos ◽

Cláudia Afonso ◽

Nuno Borges ◽

Alejandro Santos ◽

Patrícia Padrão ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Preventive Measures ◽

Nutritional Assessment ◽

Short Form ◽

Mini Nutritional Assessment ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

European Working ◽

Sectional Analysis ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults

Background: Although undernutrition and sarcopenia are common among older adults and both result in worse health outcomes, data concerning the burden of these conditions in Portuguese community-dwelling older adults are scarce. Objective: The aim of this study was to firstly describe the occurrence of sarcopenia and undernutrition among a nationwide community-dwelling sample of older adults. Methods: Using a cross-sectional analysis, 1493 Portuguese older adults age ≥65 years from the Nutrition UP 65 study were evaluated. Sarcopenia was defined according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People, and undernutrition status was evaluated by Mini-Nutritional Assessment-Short Form. Results: Sarcopenia frequency was 11.6%, and of these, 4.4% were classified with severe sarcopenia. Furthermore, 0.8% presented sarcopenic obesity. Undernutrition frequency was 1.3%, and 14.7% of the older adults were classified as being at undernutrition risk. Conclusion: Sarcopenia is present in one-tenth of the sample. This frequency taken together with undernutrition data warrants further study and preventive measures.

Download Full-text

Do Communication Patterns Affect the Association between Cognitive Impairment and Hearing Loss among Older Adults in Vietnam?

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18041603 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 1603

Author(s):

Tran Dai Tri Han ◽

Keiko Nakamura ◽

Kaoruko Seino ◽

Vo Nu Hong Duc ◽

Thang Van Vo

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Hearing Loss ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Vision Loss ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Ordinal Logistic Regression Analysis ◽

Communication Devices ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults

This study examined the prevalence of cognitive impairment among older adults in central Vietnam and the roles of communication (with or without communication devices) in the association between cognitive impairment and hearing loss. This cross-sectional study was performed on 725 randomly selected community-dwelling older adults aged ≥60 years from Thua Thien Hue province, Vietnam. Participants attended a face-to-face survey. Sociodemographic characteristics, social interaction with or without communication devices, health status and cognitive function using the Mini-Mental State Examination were reported. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was performed to quantify the association between hearing loss and cognitive function by frequency of communication with and without devices. Mild and severe cognitive impairment had prevalence rates of 23.6% and 19.3%, respectively. Cognitive impairment was more prevalent among older adults with hearing-loss, vision loss and difficulties with instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). The association between hearing loss and cognitive impairment was not significant when older adults had frequent communication with others using devices. This study presented the relatively high prevalence of cognitive impairment in community-dwelling older adults in Vietnam. Frequent communication using devices attenuated the association between hearing loss and cognitive impairment.

Download Full-text