The effects of health counseling and exercise training on self-rated health and well-being in middle-aged men: a randomized trial

Abstract The quality of close family relationships can affect the health and well-being of older adults. Further, research suggests that relationships between grandparents and adult grandchildren can have a positive impact on the lives of each generation, particularly regarding social and emotional support. Social engagement technologies may provide new opportunities for older adults to foster and maintain family relationships, including those between grandparents and adult grandchildren. The current cross-sectional study examined associations between the use of social engagement technologies and health and well-being outcomes in 177 younger adults (M = 26.67, SD = 7.83; 81.4% female) and 202 older adults (M = 71.09, SD = 8.17; 77.8% female). Social technology use was assessed through ﬁve mediums that are used to enhance social connectivity (e.g., e-mail, social network sites, online video or phone calls, instant messaging, and smartphones). Higher use of social engagement technologies was associated with better self-rated health, subjective well-being, and social support among younger and older adults. Interestingly, social technology use was associated with less depressive symptoms only for older adults (r=-.26, p<.05). There was, however, no correlation between social technology use and loneliness at the bivariate level. Of all five media, only smartphone use was correlated with more positive evaluations of the grandparent-grandchild relationship. After controlling for age, both grandparent-grandchild relationship quality and social technology use were associated with better self-rated health, subjective well-being, and social support for grandparents and adult grandchildren. Key messages Taken together, these findings indicate the need for a nuanced perspective on the benefits of social engagement technologies. More research is needed to explore the use case for social engagement technologies among older adults and their family members.

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Cohort profile: the COVID-19 Coping Study, a longitudinal mixed-methods study of middle-aged and older adults’ mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044965 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. e044965

Author(s):

Lindsay C Kobayashi ◽

Brendan Q O’Shea ◽

Jasdeep S Kler ◽

Raphael Nishimura ◽

Caroline B Palavicino-Maggio ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Older Adults ◽

Well Being ◽

Study Cohort ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Telephone Interviews ◽

Leave Of Absence ◽

The Usa ◽

Life Circumstances ◽

Health And Well Being

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic, beginning in early 2020, has resulted in massive social, economic, political and public health upheaval around the world. We established a national longitudinal cohort study, the COVID-19 Coping Study, to investigate the effects of pandemic-related stressors and changes in life circumstances on mental health and well-being among middle-aged and older adults in the USA.ParticipantsFrom 2 April to 31 May 2020, 6938 adults aged ≥55 years were recruited from all 50 US states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico using online, multi-frame non-probability-based sampling.Findings to dateMean age of the baseline sample was 67.3 years (SD: 7.9 years) and 64% were women. Two in three adults reported leaving home only for essential purposes in the past week (population-weighted proportion: 69%; 95% CI: 68% to 71%). Nearly one in five workers aged 55–64 years was placed on a leave of absence or furloughed since the start of the pandemic (17%; 95% CI: 14% to 20%), compared with one in three workers aged ≥75 years (31%; 95% CI: 21% to 44%). Nearly one-third of adults screened positive for each of depression (32%; 95% CI: 30% to 34%), anxiety (29%; 28% to 31%) and loneliness (29%; 95% CI: 27% to 31%), with decreasing prevalence of each with increasing age.Future plansMonthly and annual follow-ups of the COVID-19 Coping Study cohort will assess longitudinal changes to mental health, cognitive health and well-being in relation to social, behavioural, economic and other COVID-19-related changes to life circumstances. Quantitative and in-depth qualitative interview data will be collected through online questionnaires and telephone interviews. Cohort data will be archived for public use.

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The Relationship Between Well-Being and Self-Rated Health Among Middle-Aged and Older Women in Israel

Clinical Gerontologist ◽

10.1080/07317115.2010.502103 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 33 (4) ◽

pp. 255-269 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Esther Iecovich ◽

Julie Cwikel

Keyword(s):

Older Women ◽

Well Being ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Self Rated Health ◽

The Relationship

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Weight, Weight Perceptions, and Health and Well-Being Among Canadian Adolescents: Evidence From the 2017-2018 Canadian Community Health Survey

American Journal of Health Promotion ◽

10.1177/08901171211031064 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 089011712110310

Author(s):

Lei Chai ◽

Jia Xue

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Community Health ◽

Well Being ◽

Canadian Community Health Survey ◽

Normal Weight ◽

Self Rated Health ◽

Weight Perceptions ◽

Community Health Survey ◽

Health And Well Being

Purpose: The present study examines the extent to which (mis)matched weight and weight perceptions predict adolescents’ self-rated health, mental health, and life satisfaction. Design: Quantitative, cross-sectional study. Setting: Data from the 2017-2018 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)—a nationally representative sample collected by Statistics Canada. Participants: Canadian adolescents aged between 12 and 17 (n = 8,081). Measures: The dependent variables are self-rated health, mental health, and life satisfaction. The independent variable is (mis)matched weight and weight perceptions. Analysis: We perform a series of ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models. Results: Overweight adolescents with overweight perceptions are associated with poorer self-rated health (b = −.546, p < .001 for boys; b = −.476, p < .001 for girls), mental health (b = −.278, p < .001 for boys; b = −.433, p < .001 for girls), and life satisfaction (b = −.544, p < .001 for boys; b = −.617, p < .001 for girls) compared to their counterparts with normal weight and normal weight perceptions. Similar patterns have also been observed among normal weight adolescents with overweight perceptions (e.g., normal weight adolescents with overweight perceptions are associated with poorer self-rated health (b = −.541, p < .01 for boys; b = −.447, p < .001 for girls)). Conclusion: Normal weight adolescents are not immune to adverse self-rated health, mental health, and life satisfaction because their weight perceptions are also a contributing factor to health and well-being consequences.

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