Aging, Incarceration, and Employment Prospects: Recommendations for Practice and Policy Reform

2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 44-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina Maschi ◽  
Keith Morgen ◽  
Kimberly Westcott ◽  
Deborah Viola ◽  
Lindsay Koskinen
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Culturally Responsive ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Structural Level ◽  
Educational Training ◽  
Formerly Incarcerated ◽  
Older Prisoners ◽  
Social Structural ◽  
Aging People

Aging people in prison and post-prison release pose significant yet surmountable challenges in satisfying age-specific educational, training, employment, financial and civic participation rights. This descriptive study of 677 older prisoners, aged 50+, in a statewide prison system provides a historical analysis of past and current individual and social structural level factors that influence the prisoners' economic and employment prospects after being released from prison. Results highlight the diversity within this population based on socio-demographics, work histories, family obligations, health status, and legal histories that influence the level of support experienced post incarceration. Thesefindings suggest the need for comprehensive services that provide prison and post-prison release education, vocational training, and housing and job placement for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated older adults. Strategies for providing culturally responsive tools and resources to support education, training, and employment offormerly incarcerated older adults are discussed.

scholarly journals The Health and Well-Being of African-American Older Adults With a History of Incarceration

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 506-506
Author(s):  
Rodlescia Sneed
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Formerly Incarcerated ◽  
Older Prisoners ◽  
Health Related ◽  
History Of ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
African American Older Adults

Abstract African-Americans are overrepresented in the criminal justice system. Longer prison stays and release programs for older prisoners may result in an increased number of community-dwelling older adults with a history of incarceration. In recent years, there has been a substantial increase in research on health-related outcomes for currently incarcerated older adults; however, there has been little inquiry into outcomes for formerly incarcerated African-American older adults following community re-entry. In this study, we used secondary data from the Health and Retirement Study to describe employment, economic, and health-related outcomes in this population. Twelve percent of the 2238 African-Americans in our sample had been previously incarcerated. Those who had been previously incarcerated had higher rates of lung disease, arthritis, back problems, mobility problems, and mental health issues than their counterparts. They also had higher rates of hospitalization and lower use of dental health services. Further, while they did not experience lower employment rates than those with no criminal history, those who had been incarcerated had more physically demanding jobs and reported greater economic strain. Given the disproportionate incarceration rates among African-Americans, the aging of the prison population, and the increase in community re-entry for older prisoners, research that explores factors that impact the health and well-being of formerly incarcerated individuals has broad impact. Future work should focus on addressing the needs of this vulnerable population of African-American older adults.

The Oxford Handbook of Integrative Health Science

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Adult Life ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Health Science ◽  
National Study ◽  
Integrative Health ◽  
Social Structural ◽  
Research Population ◽  
Psychosocial Influences

This handbook signals a paradigm shift in health research. Population-based disciplines have employed large national samples to examine how sociodemographic factors contour rates of morbidity and mortality. Behavioral and psychosocial disciplines have studied the factors that influence these domains using small, nonrepresentative samples in experimental or longitudinal contexts. Biomedical disciplines, drawing on diverse fields, have examined mechanistic processes implicated in disease outcomes. The collection of chapters in this handbook embraces all such prior approaches and, via targeted questions, illustrates how they can be woven together. Diverse contributions showcase how social structural influences work together with psychosocial influences or experiential factors to impact differing health outcomes, including profiles of biological risk across distinct physiological systems. These varied biopsychosocial advances have grown up around the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) national study of health, begun over 20 years ago and now encompassing over 12,000 Americans followed through time. The overarching principle behind the MIDUS enterprise is that deeper understanding of why some individuals remain healthy and well as they move across the decades of adult life, while others succumb to differing varieties of disease, dysfunction, or disability, requires a commitment to comprehensiveness that attends to the interplay of multiple interacting influences. Put another way, all of the disciplines mentioned have reliably documented influences on health, but in and of themselves, each is inherently limited because it neglects factors known to matter for health outside the discipline’s purview. Integrative health science is the alternative seeking to overcome these limitations.

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

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).

scholarly journals Factors associated with sarcopenia screened by finger-circle test among middle-aged and older adults: a population-based multisite cross-sectional survey in Japan

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daiki Watanabe ◽  
Tsukasa Yoshida ◽  
Takashi Nakagata ◽  
Naomi Sawada ◽  
Yosuke Yamada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Multiple Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Mail Surveys ◽  
Osaka Prefecture ◽  
Middle Aged Adults

AbstractBackgroundPrevious epidemiological studies have demonstrated the prevalence and relationship of various factors associated with sarcopenia in older adults; however, few have examined the status of sarcopenia in middle-aged adults. In this study, we aimed to, 1) evaluate the validity of the finger-circle test, which is potentially a useful screening tool for sarcopenia, and 2) determine the prevalence and factors associated with sarcopenia in middle-aged and older adults.MethodsWe conducted face-to-face surveys of 525 adults, who were aged 40–91 years and resided in Settsu City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan to evaluate the validity of finger-circle test. The finger-circle test evaluated calf circumference by referring to an illustration printed on the survey form. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROC) was plotted to evaluate the validity of the finger-circle test for screening sarcopenia and compared to that evaluated by skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) measured using bioimpedance. We also conducted multisite population-based cross-sectional anonymous mail surveys of 9337 adults, who were aged 40–97 years and resided in Settsu and Hannan Cities, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Participants were selected through stratified random sampling by sex and age in the elementary school zones of their respective cities. We performed multiple logistic regression analysis to explore associations between characteristics and prevalence of sarcopenia.ResultsSarcopenia, defined by SMI, was moderately predicted by a finger-circle test response showing that the subject’s calf was smaller than their finger-circle (AUROC: 0.729, < 65 years; 0.653, ≥65 years); such subjects were considered to have sarcopenia. In mail surveys, prevalence of sarcopenia screened by finger-circle test was higher in older subjects (approximately 16%) than in middle-aged subjects (approximately 8–9%). In a multiple regression model, the factors associated with sarcopenia were age, body mass index, smoking status, self-reported health, and number of meals in all the participants.ConclusionsSarcopenia, screened by the finger-circle test, was present not only among older adults but also among middle-aged adults. These results may provide useful indications for developing public health programs, not only for the prevention, but especially for the management of sarcopenia.Trial registrationUMIN000036880, registered prospectively May 29, 2019, https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr_e/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000042027

scholarly journals The Association of Sensory Impairment With Incident Disability-Related Cessation of Employment in Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 216-216
Author(s):  
Ahmed Shakarchi ◽  
Emmanuel Garcia Morales ◽  
Nicholas Reed ◽  
Bonnielin Swenor
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Sensory Impairment ◽  
Loss To Follow Up ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Cox Proportional Hazard Regression ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Adjusted Model

Abstract Sensory impairment (SI) is common among older adults, and it is an increasingly important public health challenge as the population ages. We evaluated the association between SI and incident disability-related cessation of employment in older adults using the population-based Health and Retirement Study. Participants employed in 2006 completed biennial interviews until self-reported incident disability-related cessation of employment. Participants were censored at loss to follow-up, retirement, or 2018. Participants rated their vision and hearing, using eyeglasses or hearing aids if applicable, on a Likert scale (poor, fair, good, very good, excellent). SI was defined as poor or fair ability, and SI was categorized as neither SI (NSI), vision impairment alone (VI), hearing impairment alone (HI), and dual SI (DSI). Cox proportional hazard regression assessed the association between SI and incident disability-related cessation of employment, adjusting for demographic and health covariates. Overall, 4726 participants were included: 421 (8.9%) were with VI, 487 (10.3) with HI, and 203 (4.3%) with DSI. Mean age was 61.0 ± 6.8 years, 2488 (52.6%) were women, and 918 (19.4) were non-White. In the fully adjusted model, incident disability-related cessation of employment over the 12-year follow-up period was higher in VI (Hazard Ratio (HR)=1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.92, 1.85), HI (HR=1.60, CI=1.16, 2.22), and DSI (HR=2.02, CI=1.38, 2.96). These findings indicate that employed older adults with SI are at increased risk of incident disability-related cessation of employment, and that older adults with DSI are particularly vulnerable. Addressing SI in older adults may lengthen their contribution to the workforce.

Total Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Score and Anthropometric Indices: A Population-Based Study in Older Adults of Amerindian Ancestry

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Oscar H. Del Brutto ◽  
Robertino M. Mera
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Small Vessel Disease ◽  
Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Cerebral Small Vessel Disease ◽  
The Body ◽  
Small Vessel ◽  
Population Based Study ◽  
Vessel Disease ◽  
Ordinal Logistic Regression Model

A total of 590 older adults of Amerindian ancestry living in rural Ecuador received anthropometric measurements and a brain magnetic resonance imaging to estimate the total cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) score. A fully adjusted ordinal logistic regression model, with categories of the total cSVD score as the dependent variable, disclosed significant associations between the waist circumference, the waist-to-hip, and the waist-to-height ratios – but not the body mass index (BMI) – and the cSVD burden. Indices of abdominal obesity may better correlate with severity of cSVD than the BMI in Amerindians. Phenotypic characteristics of this population may account for these results.

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