Associations of Walking Impairment With Visual Impairment, Depression, And Cognitive Function In US Older Adults: NHANES 2013-2014

Author(s):  
Wei Gao ◽  
Pengfei Dai ◽  
Yuqian Wang ◽  
Yurong Zhang

Abstract Background: Walking impairment, a common health problem among older adults, has been linked to poor vision and mental health. This study aimed to investigate the associations of walking impairment with visual impairment, depression, and cognitive function in older adults. Methods: A total of 1,489 adults aged 60 years and older who had participated in the National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013-2014 in the United States were included. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to examine the associations of walking impairment with visual impairment, depression, and four subdomains of cognitive function. Sample weights were used to ensure the generalizability of the results.Results: Among all the participants (median age=68 years; 53.7% women), 17.5% reported walking impairment. Walking impairment was significantly associated with visual impairment (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] =2.76; 95% CI: 1.47-5.20) and depression (aOR=4.66; 95% CI: 3.11-6.99). Walking impairment was only associated with the Digit Symbol Substitution (DSST) subdomain of cognitive function in total participants (aOR=0.97; 95% CI: 0.95-0.99), and in non-Hispanic white adults (aOR=0.96; 95% CI: 0.94-0.98). Participants with more than 1 impairment indicators had higher OR of walking impairment (aOR = 3.64, 95% CI =2.46-5.38) than those with 0-1 (reference group) impairment indicator.Conclusions: Walking impairment was associated with visual impairment, depression, and cognitive impairment in the American older adults and also positively associated with the number of impairment indicators. The association between walking impairment and cognitive impairment varied according to race. Evaluations of vision, cognition, and depression should be conducted among the elderly with walking impairment, and that needs of the older adults with biological aspect of their particular race should be provided in the evaluations.

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S650-S650
Author(s):  
Keqing Zhang ◽  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Yanyan Wu

Abstract Improvements in health and increase in life expectancy have contributed to the increasing proportion of older population over the past century. It is estimated that by 2050, the number of older adults with cognitive impairments in the United States will increase by 2.5-4 fold, while age-specific rates remain constant. This paper uses data from 10 waves (1996-2014) of the Health and Retirement Study (N= 33213) to crystalize the trends in cognitive function changes and cognitive impairment rates in a nationally representative sample of older adults. OLS and logistic regressions are used to estimate the trends and determine the contribution of sociodemographic variables to decreasing trends in the prevalence of cognitive impairment over time. Results show that with the increase of age, the cognitive function of older adults decline in all races, after adjustment for age, gender, education, and other sociodemographic factors. Also, the annual decline rate of cognitive function is larger for African Americans and Hispanic Americans, while smaller for white and other races. A further investigation of the possibility of cognitive impairment reveals a different scenario: as individual ages, the Hispanic are the least likely to suffer from cognitive impairment, followed by the white, other and black. Improvements in educational level contribute to declines in cognitive impairment across all races, particular the Hispanic Americans. Race-specific findings suggest that future research need to take into account the racial diversity and possibly cultural influences when examining the cognitive functions of older adults.


2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (9) ◽  
pp. 1165-1177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duy Do ◽  
Jason Schnittker

Objectives: Many medications have cognitive impairment, memory loss, amnesia, or dementia as side effects (“cognitive side effects” hereafter), but little is known about trends in the prevalence of these medications or their implications for population-level cognitive impairment. Method: We use data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999–2016) to describe trends in the use of medications with cognitive side effects among adults aged 60+ ( N = 16,937) and their implications for cognitive functioning (measured using word learning and recall, animal fluency, and digit symbol substitution assessments). Results: Between 1999 to 2000 and 2015 to 2016, the prevalence of older adults taking one, two, and at least three medications with cognitive side effects increased by 10.2%, 57.3%, and 298.7%, respectively. Compared to non-users, respondents who simultaneously used three or more medications with cognitive side effects scored 0.22 to 0.27 standard deviations lower in word learning and recall ( p = .02), digit symbol substitution ( p < .01), and the average standardized score of the three assessments ( p < .001). Limitation: Dosage of medications associated with cognitive side effects was not measured. Discussion: Concurrent use of medications with cognitive side effects among older adults has increased dramatically over the past two decades. The use of such medications is associated with cognitive impairment and may explain for disparities in cognitive function across subgroups. These findings highlight the need for cognitive screenings among patients who consume medications with cognitive side effects. They also highlight the synergic effects of polypharmacy and potential drug-drug interactions that result in cognitive deficits.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiyoon Kong ◽  
Jin Sug Kim ◽  
Min Hye Kang ◽  
Shin Yeong Kang ◽  
Ri Ra ◽  
...  

Abstract Background and Aims Cognitive impairment is common in older adults. Similarly, the prevalence of renal dysfunction is also increased in the elderly. We conducted this study to clarify the relationship between the renal function and cognitive impairment in community dwelling older adults in Korea. Method A cross-sectional analysis was performed on the data of the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study (KFACS), a nationwide cohort study that began in 2016. Of the 3014 participants assessed in the first and second year, 2847 participants (1333 men, 1514 women) who completed baseline assessments were enrolled. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, mL/min/1.73m2) was calculated using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation. Renal function of the participants was classified into four groups by eGFR quartile. General cognitive function was accessed with mini-mental state exam in the Korean version (MMSE-KC). Participants who had MMSE-KC score less than 1.5 standard deviation by age, gender, and education level were regarded as the cognitive impairment. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to examine the relationship between renal function and cognitive impairment. In addition, we investigated to find the point of eGFR interval at which the odds ratio begins to increase. Results The mean eGFR in quartile 1 was 91.7 ± 3.22 ml/min/1.73m2, and 84.9 ± 1.81 in quartile 2, 76.1 ± 3.66 in quartile 3, and 57.2 ± 10.75 in quartile 4. In baseline characteristics, participants with lower eGFR had lower MMSE-KC scores. And the prevalence of cognitive impairment was 10.8% in quartile 1, 15.9% in quartile 2, 15.2% in quartile 3, 14.9% in quartile 4. After multivariate adjustment, the odds ratio (OR) of cognitive impairment in quartile 2 [adjusted OR: 1.569, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.141 - 2.158, p = 0.006] compared with quartile 1. And the odd ratios of cognitive impairment were 1.539 (95% CI: 1.113 - 2.127, p = 0.009) in quartile 3, 1.475 (95% CI: 1.062 - 2.049, p = 0.020) in quartile 4 compared with quartile 1, respectively. Among the participants with eGFR above 60 ml/min/1.73m2, the renal function was grouped by 5 ml/min/1.73m2 interval. The risk of cognitive impairment started to increase from eGFR between 80 and 85 ml/min/1.73m2 (adjusted OR: 1.667, 95% CI: 1.128 - 2.463, p = 0.010). Conclusion Renal dysfunction was associated with lower global cognitive function in older adults. And the risk of cognitive impairment increased from quartile 2, especially, eGFR between 80 and 85 ml/min/1.73m2 in this population. These results suggest that mild decline of kidney function is also a risk factor of cognitive decline in the elderly.


2018 ◽  
Vol 122 (3) ◽  
pp. 841-852
Author(s):  
Emily Frith ◽  
Paul D. Loprinzi

Cognitive impairment is associated with various chronic diseases, including mobility limitation and early mortality. Thus, evaluating changes in cognition is of paramount public health interest. The purpose of this study was to evaluate secular trends in cognitive function among a representative sample of the U.S. older adult population. Data from the 1999–2000, 2001–2002, 2011–2012, and 2013–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were utilized to identify an aggregate sample of adults 60+ years of age. The sample size across the four respective cycles was 1417, 1558, 1422, and 1592. Three cognitive assessments were employed, including the CERAD Word Learning subset (Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s disease), the Animal Fluency test, and the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST). For the entire sample and several subpopulations, DSST scores increased from 1999 to 2012 and then decreased in the 2013 to 2014 cycle. For all CERAD trials, there was evidence of increased CERAD performance from 2011–2012 to 2013–2014. No secular trends were observed for the Animal Fluency task across these cycles. Select cognitive parameters appear to be improving among U.S. older adults. Future work is needed to further explore secular trends in cognitive sustainability, and, as evidenced by our present study, cognitive enrichment over time.


Author(s):  
Sijun Shen ◽  
Marizen Ramirez ◽  
Cara J. Hamann ◽  
Nichole Morris ◽  
Corinne Peek-Asa ◽  
...  

Introduction: The aging population has been rapidly growing in the United States (U.S.). In line with this trend, older adults’ mobility and transportation safety are an increasing priority. Many states have implemented driver licensure laws specific to older adults to limit driving among the elderly with driving skill decline. Evaluations of these laws have primarily focused on their safety benefits related to older drivers’ fatal crash rate or injury rate. However, very few studies investigated licensure law effects on older adults’ mobility. Objective: The objective of our study is to evaluate the association between older driver licensure laws and older adult daily traveling and passenger exposure. Methods: The 2003–2017 American Time Use Survey (ATUS) data were linked with statewide driver licensure law provisions. Adults aged 55–64 years were used as the reference group to control for the effects of non-licensure-law factors (e.g., economic trend). We used modified Poisson regressions with robust variance to estimate the relationships between licensure law provisions and the likelihoods of older men and women’s daily traveling and passenger behaviors. Results: Laws requiring a vision test at in-person renewal were associated with increased daily traveling likelihood for women aged 75 years or older, primarily as a passenger. Laws requiring a knowledge test were related to a reduced daily overall traveling likelihood for women aged 75 years or older. Conclusions: In general, licensure law provisions are not strongly related to older adults’ mobility, in particular for older male adults. Older female adults’ daily mobility may be more likely to be influenced by the change of licensure laws than older male adults. The existence of gender-based disparities in responding to licensure laws requires future studies to account for the gender difference in estimating the effects of those traffic policies on older adults’ mobility and traffic safety.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 548-548
Author(s):  
Hoang Nguyen ◽  
Christina Miyawaki ◽  
Kyriakos Markides

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the vulnerability of older adults with pre-existing health conditions and disabilities. A 2011 study reported that Asian older adults had lower prevalence of disability compared to non-Hispanic white. We revisited the estimate a decade later using the recently released 2015-2019 Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) from the American Community Survey (ACS). We estimated the prevalence of six types of disability in adults aged 60 years and older who self-identified as Vietnamese, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Asian Indian, or non-Hispanic White. We also compared the risk for each disability type between Vietnamese and non-Hispanic White (reference group) using the adjusted (age, sex, marital status, education and poverty level) odds ratios. All analyses used survey weights for point estimate and the jackknife method for standard error. Significantly higher prevalence of limitations in independent living, self-care, cognitive function, and blindness were reported by Vietnamese than by non-Hispanic White. Vietnamese also had the highest prevalence in all six types of disability of the Asian groups examined. The adjusted odds ratio of limitations in independent living, self-care, and cognitive function was significantly higher for Vietnamese than non-Hispanic White. These findings suggest a possible negative outcome trend with the aging of the Vietnamese population. We discuss the historical accounts of Vietnamese in the United States as war refugees and family reunion migrants, provide possible explanations for these new findings including changing demographic structures, and make recommendations for policy and practice that incorporate existing social and cultural resources in the Vietnamese community.


2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eun Sook Han ◽  
Yunhwan Lee ◽  
Jinhee Kim

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.


Author(s):  
Tran Dai Tri Han ◽  
Keiko Nakamura ◽  
Kaoruko Seino ◽  
Vo Nu Hong Duc ◽  
Thang Van Vo

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.


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