Understanding how the objective neighbourhood built environment influences depressive symptoms and quality of life in Hong Kong older adults

With an ageing world population, preservation of older adults’ health and quality of life (QoL) is paramount. Due to lower levels of physical functionality, older adults are particularly susceptible to local environment influences, especially those living alone and lacking family support. Using generalised additive mixed models, we examined associations and confounder-adjusted associations between objectively-measured neighbourhood attributes and QoL domains in 909 Hong Kong Chinese elderly community dwellers. Most examined neighbourhood attributes were not associated with QoL in the whole sample. Neighbourhood residential and entertainment density was curvilinearly and/or linearly related to specific QoL domains. Number of parks was negatively associated with social QoL and having well-treed parks with higher levels of social QoL. Older adults living alone in neighbourhoods with poor access to destinations and few activities in parks showed lower environmental and/or social QoL than their counterparts. Neighbourhood built environment characteristics do not seem to impact Hong Kong older adults’ physical and psychological QoL. Medium-to-high density, well-ordered neighbourhoods with optimal mixes of well-treed public open spaces and services meeting their daily needs may significantly contribute to social and environmental QoL in this population and appear particularly important to those living alone.

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Effects of Mind–Body Interventions Involving Meditative Movements on Quality of Life, Depressive Symptoms, Fear of Falling and Sleep Quality in Older Adults: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17186556 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (18) ◽

pp. 6556

Author(s):

Manuel Weber ◽

Thiemo Schnorr ◽

Mareike Morat ◽

Tobias Morat ◽

Lars Donath

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Older Adults ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Mental Disorders ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Psychological Health ◽

Fear Of Falling ◽

Randomized Controlled

Background: The aim of the present systematic meta-analytical review was to quantify the effects of different mind–body interventions (MBI) involving meditative movements on relevant psychological health outcomes (i.e., quality of life (QoL), depressive symptoms, fear of falling (FoF) and sleep quality) in older adults without mental disorders. Methods: A structured literature search was conducted in five databases (Ovid, PsycINFO, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science). Inclusion criteria were: (i) the study was a (cluster) randomized controlled trial, (ii) the subjects were aged ≥59 years without mental illnesses, (iii) an intervention arm performing MBI compared to a non-exercise control group (e.g., wait-list or usual care), (iv) psychological health outcomes related to QoL, depressive symptoms, FoF or sleep quality were assessed and (v) a PEDro score of ≥5. The interventions of the included studies were sub-grouped into Tai Chi/Qigong (TCQ) and Yoga/Pilates (YP). Statistical analyses were conducted using a random-effects inverse-variance model. Results: Thirty-seven randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (comprising 3224 participants) were included. Small to moderate-but-significant overall effect sizes favoring experimental groups (Hedges’ g: 0.25 to 0.71) compared to non-exercise control groups were observed in all outcomes (all p values ≤ 0.007), apart from one subdomain of quality of life (i.e., social functioning, p = 0.15). Interestingly, a significant larger effect on QoL and depressive symptoms with increasing training frequency was found for TCQ (p = 0.03; p = 0.004). Conclusions: MBI involving meditative movements may serve as a promising opportunity to improve psychological health domains such as QoL, depressive symptoms, FoF and sleep quality in older adults. Hence, these forms of exercise may represent potential preventive measures regarding the increase of late-life mental disorders, which need to be further confirmed by future research.

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A supervised exercise intervention fails to improve depressive symptoms and quality of life among sedentary older adults with HIV infection

AIDS Care ◽

10.1080/09540121.2019.1634788 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 32 (6) ◽

pp. 714-721

Author(s):

DeLayna Goulding ◽

Melissa P. Wilson ◽

Samantha MaWhinney ◽

Catherine M. Jankowski ◽

Kristine M. Erlandson

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Older Adults ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Hiv Infection ◽

Exercise Intervention ◽

Supervised Exercise

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Predictors of change over time in subjective daytime sleepiness among older adult recipients of long-term services and supports

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610220000782 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 32 (7) ◽

pp. 849-861

Author(s):

Darina V. Petrovsky ◽

Karen B. Hirschman ◽

Miranda Varrasse McPhillips ◽

Justine S. Sefcik ◽

Alexandra L. Hanlon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Social Support ◽

Older Adults ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Daytime Sleepiness ◽

Daily Living ◽

Services And Supports ◽

Over Time

ABSTRACTObjectives:Daytime sleepiness is associated with multiple negative outcomes in older adults receiving long-term services and supports (LTSS) including reduced cognitive performance, need for greater assistance with activities of daily living and decreased social engagement. The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of change in subjective daytime sleepiness among older adults during their first 2 years of receiving LTSS.Design and Setting:Secondary analysis of data from a prospective longitudinal study of older adults who received LTSS in their homes, assisted living communities or nursing homes interviewed at baseline and every 3 months for 24 months.Participants:470 older adults (60 years and older) newly enrolled in LTSS (mean = 81, SD = 8.7; range 60–98; 71% women).Measurements:Subjective daytime sleepiness was assessed every 3 months through 2 years using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Multiple validated measures were used to capture health-related quality of life characteristics of enrollees and their environment, including symptom status (Symptom Bother Scale), cognition (Mini Mental Status Exam), physical function (Basic Activities of Daily Living), physical and mental general health, quality of life (Dementia Quality of Life, D-QoL), depressive symptoms (Geriatric Depression Scale) and social support (Medical Outcomes Survey-Social Support).Results:Longitudinal mixed effects modeling was used to examine the relationship between independent variables and continuous measure of daytime sleepiness. Increased feelings of belonging, subscale of the D-QoL (effect size = −0.006, 95% CI: −0.013 to −0.0001, p = 0.045) and higher number of depressive symptoms (effect size = −0.002, 95% CI: −0.004 to −0.001, p = 0.001) at baseline were associated with slower rates of increase in daytime sleepiness over time.Conclusions:Comprehensive baseline and longitudinal screening for changes in daytime sleepiness along with depression and perceived quality of life should be used to inform interventions aimed at reducing daytime sleepiness among older adults receiving LTSS.

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Validity of the Chinese version of EQ-5D and SF-6D as health related quality of life measure in Chinese older adults in Hong Kong

10.5353/th_b4100584 ◽

2008 ◽

Author(s):

Hon-wan, Doris Cheung

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Older Adults ◽

Hong Kong ◽

Chinese Version ◽

Health Related Quality ◽

Life Measure ◽

Chinese Older Adults ◽

Related Quality ◽

Health Related

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Levels of depressive symptoms may modify the relationship between the WHOQOL-BREF and its determining factors in community-dwelling older adults

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610215002276 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 28 (4) ◽

pp. 591-601 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Yu-Chen Chang ◽

Wen-Chen Ouyang ◽

Mei-Chun Lu ◽

Jung-Der Wang ◽

Susan C. Hu

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Older Adults ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Early Recognition ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

World Health ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults ◽

Different Levels

ABSTRACTBackground:Depression is closely associated with quality of life (QOL) in older adults. Being elderly and exhibiting mild depressive symptoms may not lead to a depression diagnosis, but these attributes are clinically important. However, the extent to which these factors influence QOL and its determinants in older adults remains unclear.Methods:Questionnaires were administered to people aged 65 years or older at community senior centers in Taiwan to collect socio-demographic information and to assess results from the brief version of the World Health Organization's Quality of Life instrument (WHOQOL-BREF), Modified Barthel Index (MBI), 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Levels of depressive symptoms were classified as no depressive symptoms (NDS), lower level of depressive symptoms (LLDS), and higher level of depressive symptoms (HLDS), corresponding to GDS = 0, 1≦GDS≦5, and GDS>5, respectively. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to assess associations between the WHOQOL-BREF and its covariates for different levels of depressive symptoms.Results:A total of 454 older adults participated. The GDS and MBI scores significantly affected the WHOQOL-BREF physical and psychological domain scores in the LLDS group. Gender influenced the WHOQOL-BREF scores in the NDS group, and increased age demonstrated protective effects on the three domains in the HLDS group. Moreover, the association between the WHOQOL-BREF and its covariates varied for different levels of depressive symptoms.Conclusions:Treatment for depressive symptoms is of high priority, and early recognition of and appropriate intervention for mild depressive symptoms may improve community-dwelling older adults’ QOLs.

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