scholarly journals Sarcopenic Obesity in Africa: A Call for Diagnostic Methods and Appropriate Interventions

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy E. Mendham ◽  
Lillemor Lundin-Olsson ◽  
Julia H. Goedecke ◽  
Lisa K. Micklesfield ◽  
Dirk L. Christensen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Musculoskeletal Diseases ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
Sarcopenic Obesity ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Diagnostic Criterion

This perspective aims to highlight the lack of current knowledge on sarcopenic obesity in Africa and to call for diagnostic methods and appropriate interventions. Sarcopenic obesity has been defined as obesity that occurs in combination with low muscle mass and function, which is typically evident in older adults. However, there has been no clear consensus on population-specific diagnostic criterion, which includes both gold-standard measures that can be used in a more advanced health care system, and surrogate measures that can be used in low-income settings with limited resources and funding. Importantly, low and middle-income countries (LMICs) across Africa are in an ongoing state of economic and social transition, which has contributed to an increase in the aging population, alongside the added burden of poverty, obesity, and associated co-morbidities. It is anticipated that alongside the increased prevalence of obesity, these countries will further experience an increase in age-related musculoskeletal diseases such as sarcopenia. The developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) approach will allow clinicians and researchers to consider developmental trajectories, and the influence of the environment, for targeting high-risk individuals and communities for treatment and/or prevention-based interventions that are implemented throughout all stages of the life course. Once a valid and reliable diagnostic criterion is developed, we can firstly assess the prevalence and burden of sarcopenic obesity in LMICs in Africa, and secondly, develop appropriate and sustainable interventions that target improved dietary and physical activity behaviors throughout the life course.

Volunteerism and the Life Course: Investigating Age-Related Agendas for Action

2000 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allen M. Omoto ◽  
Mark Snyder ◽  
Steven C. Martino
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Life Course

Violent Criminal Behavior Over the Life Course: A Review of the Longitudinal and Comparative Research

1993 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 235-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
John H. Laub ◽  
Janet L. Lauritsen
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Comparative Research ◽  
Criminal Behavior ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Violent Behavior ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Opportunity Structures ◽  
Violent Criminal ◽  
The Life Course

In this paper we review the existing longitudinal research on violent criminal behavior. Although interested in comparative research on this topic, we found that virtually all of the longitudinal studies comprised individuals from Western societies. The primary issue we examine concerns the extent to which there are universal patterns of violent behavior over the life course. Based on the available evidence, our best guess is that universal patterns do not exist It cannot be answered definitively, however, to what extent sociocultural variations in violence reflect differences in opportunity structures or differences in developmental trajectories and transitions over the life course. In order to address these issues, specific recommendations for future research, both within countries and cross-nationally, are presented and discussed.

Play moods across the life course in SKAM fandom

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Line Nybro Petersen ◽  
Vilde Schanke Sundet
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Target Audience ◽  
Fan Studies ◽  
Fan Communities ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Fan Practices ◽  
The Life Course

This article considers fans’ playful digital practices and focuses on the play moods that are co-constructed in online fan communities. We analyse how these play moods are negotiated across the life course for participating fans. Play moods are closely tied to the playful modes of fan practices, and by gaining a greater understanding of the moods that fans engage in at different stages of their life course we gain new insights into fan play as it relates to issues of age-related norms in fan communities. Specifically, this article analyses the Norwegian teenage streaming drama SKAM (Shame) (NRK, 2015‐17), which was produced for a target audience of 16-year-old Norwegian girls but ended up capturing the hearts of people of all ages across Scandinavia and internationally. This study is based on interviews with 43 Scandinavian fans aged between 13 and 70. The participants were all active on social media (Facebook, Instagram, the show’s blog, etc.) while the show was on the air and the interviews offers insights into issues of age-appropriateness as it relates to fan practices. As such, fans ‘police’ both themselves and each other based on perceptions of age, while also engaging in practices that are by nature playful and may be considered subjectively and culturally ‘youthful’ or ‘childish’. The article combines theory of play and fan studies with a focus on the life course and cultural gerontology in order to highlight these tendencies in the SKAM fandom.

Trajectories of Criminal Behavior Across the Life Course

2018 ◽  
pp. 96-125
Author(s):  
Julien Morizot
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Longitudinal Studies ◽  
Statistical Methods ◽  
Criminal Behavior ◽  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Criminal Career ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Individual Change ◽  
The Life Course

This chapter provides an overview of developmental-typological theories of criminal behavior best known by criminologists. These theories aim to explain heterogeneity in intra-individual change in criminal behavior across the life course by postulating developmental trajectories differing in terms of onset, variety and frequency of offending, criminal career duration, and period of desistance. The chapter outlines the most popular statistical methods for modeling developmental trajectories. It also summarizes the empirical findings from available developmental trajectory research. Overall, available longitudinal studies tend to support only some postulates of developmental-typological theories. This chapter thus proposes a number of directions for future research and provides some concluding insights.

scholarly journals YOU’LL SEE: YOUNGER RESEARCHERS INTERVIEWING OLDER PARTICIPANTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S706-S707
Author(s):  
Sarah Jen ◽  
Yuanjin Zhou ◽  
Mijin Jeong
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Life Experience ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Age Difference ◽  
Younger Women ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
The Impact

Abstract In qualitative research, similarities and differences between the participant and researcher influence the research process and dynamics. Specifically, the age difference between older participants and relatively younger qualitative researchers is a common, but under-examined dynamic requiring nuanced, reflexive analysis. Using a life course conceptual framing, this study explored age-related participant-researcher dynamics in interviews from two qualitative studies of older women’s sexual experiences in later life. Participants included 25 women whose ages ranged from 55 to 93 and both studies were completed by the same researcher, a relatively younger woman (age 23 and 28 at times of data collection). A thematic analysis revealed three primary themes: 1) taking care - participants took care of the researcher by offering advice, asking about the researcher’s life, and expressing hopes for a positive future, 2) expertise – varied expertise was demonstrated by the researcher (e.g. substantive and scholarly) and participants (e.g. life experience), and 3) researcher growth - the researcher’s interviewing tactics shifted between the two studies (e.g. use of validation rather than consolation in response to aging-related concerns), indicating a shift in perceptions of aging and later life. Findings indicate that older women participants and younger women researchers are bound together through the life course, by shared gendered experiences, the fact that one will eventually become the other, and the mutual sharing of expertise and caring. Gerontology researchers must actively reflect on the impact of their own identities and aging perceptions on the interviewing process in order to enhance rigor in qualitative research.

Le dinamiche del reddito nella terza etŕ

2009 ◽  
pp. 139-156
Author(s):  
katherine Hill
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Older People ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Personal Resources ◽  
Financial Situation ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Insight Into

- Later life can be seen as period of income stability compared to other stages of the life course, and a key issue for older people in low income households is that they have limited means of pro-actively improving their financial situation. This article draws on a qualitative longitudinal study which explored how older people experienced changes in their financial circumstances across a two year period. The findings demonstrate that even where people did not feel that their financial circumstances had changed overall, this did not necessarily indicate a steady state. The study explored the interrelationship between changes in income and outgoings, as well as changing needs, and this article provides an insight into how social and personal resources are drawn on to help manage financial change and maintain stability. In doing so, it illustrates the extent of work that can be involved in maintaining a steady state in constrained circumstances.

scholarly journals Immune Function and Micronutrient Requirements Change over the Life Course

Nutrients ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Maggini ◽  
Adeline Pierre ◽  
Philip Calder
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Immune Function ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Micronutrient Supplementation ◽  
Micronutrient Deficiencies ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Life Course

As humans age, the risk and severity of infections vary in line with immune competence according to how the immune system develops, matures, and declines. Several factors influence the immune system and its competence, including nutrition. A bidirectional relationship among nutrition, infection and immunity exists: changes in one component affect the others. For example, distinct immune features present during each life stage may affect the type, prevalence, and severity of infections, while poor nutrition can compromise immune function and increase infection risk. Various micronutrients are essential for immunocompetence, particularly vitamins A, C, D, E, B2, B6, and B12, folic acid, iron, selenium, and zinc. Micronutrient deficiencies are a recognized global public health issue, and poor nutritional status predisposes to certain infections. Immune function may be improved by restoring deficient micronutrients to recommended levels, thereby increasing resistance to infection and supporting faster recovery when infected. Diet alone may be insufficient and tailored micronutrient supplementation based on specific age-related needs necessary. This review looks at immune considerations specific to each life stage, the consequent risk of infection, micronutrient requirements and deficiencies exhibited over the life course, and the available evidence regarding the effects of micronutrient supplementation on immune function and infection.

scholarly journals Life Course Pathways From Childhood SES to Age-Related Declines in Kidney Function Across Adulthood

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 832-832
Author(s):  
Agus Surachman ◽  
Alexis Santos ◽  
Jonathan Daw ◽  
Lacy Alexander ◽  
Christopher Coe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Kidney Function ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Strong Predictor ◽  
Early Adulthood ◽  
The United States ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Age is a strong predictor of declines in kidney function across adulthood. Using data from 2,045 adults (ages 25-84) in the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study, we examined the life course pathways through which low parental education, through adult SES and body mass index (BMI), was associated with faster age-related declines in kidney function. Kidney function declines by 0.8 mL/min/1.73 m2 per year across adulthood. Lower parental education, through adult SES and BMI, was associated with higher kidney function among younger adults (Est = -1.61, SE = 0.62, 95%CI = -2.62, -0.60), but lower kidney function among older adults (Est = 0.93, SE = 0.51, 95%CI = 0.11, 1.79). The impact of early socioeconomic adversity on kidney function is initiated by kidney hyperfiltration in early adulthood and followed by faster declines and development into disease state in later adulthood.

scholarly journals How Are Epigenetic Modifications Related to Cardiovascular Disease in Older Adults?

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (18) ◽  
pp. 9949
Author(s):  
Mojgan Gharipour ◽  
Arya Mani ◽  
Mona Amini Baghbahadorani ◽  
Camila Kellen de Souza Cardoso ◽  
Shayesteh Jahanfar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Lifestyle Modification ◽  
Epigenetic Modification ◽  
Epigenetic Modifications ◽  
Preventive Strategy ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Life Course

The rate of aging has increased globally during recent decades and has led to a rising burden of age-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). At the molecular level, epigenetic modifications have been shown recently to alter gene expression during the life course and impair cellular function. In this regard, several CVD risk factors, such as lifestyle and environmental factors, have emerged as key factors in epigenetic modifications within the cardiovascular system. In this study, we attempted to summarized recent evidence related to epigenetic modification, inflammation response, and CVD in older adults as well as the effect of lifestyle modification as a preventive strategy in this age group. Recent evidence showed that lifestyle and environmental factors may affect epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, histone acetylation, and miRNA expression. Several substances or nutrients such as selenium, magnesium, curcumin, and caffeine (present in coffee and some teas) could regulate epigenetics. Similarly, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption, air pollutants, psychological stress, and shift working are well-known modifiers of epigenetic patterns. Understanding the exact ways that lifestyle and environmental factors could affect the expression of genes could help to influence the time of incidence and severity of aging-associated diseases. This review highlighted that a healthy lifestyle throughout the life course, such as a healthy diet rich in fibers, vitamins, and essential elements, and specific fatty acids, adequate physical activity and sleep, smoking cessation, and stress control, could be useful tools in preventing epigenetic changes that lead to impaired cardiovascular function.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document