Fitness center use and subsequent achievement of exercise goals. A prospective study on long-term fitness center members

Background Knowledge on the relationship between fitness center use and long-term members’ subsequent goal achievement is limited. Therefore, the aim was to investigate the prospective association between the use of fitness centers during 18 months and subsequent self-reported goal achievement among long-term members. Methods This was a registry- and survey-based longitudinal study of 2851 people who had been members at a Norwegian fitness center chain for more than two years. Fitness center use from December 2016 to June 2018 was obtained from registry data. Subsequent goal achievement was measured in a survey in June 2018, assessed by a 1–100 visual analogue scale, and a score between 0 and 50 was defined as low goal achievement. Results Visiting the fitness center frequently and regularly, and having frequent group activity bookings were associated with higher subsequent self-reported goal achievement. Participants with fewest visits (1–57 days) during 18 months were more likely to report low goal achievement than participants with most visits (118–543 days) (OR = 8.5; 95% CI 6.3–11.4). Fitness trainer bookings was not clearly associated with subsequent goal achievement. Conclusions Frequent and regular long-term fitness center use were associated with higher subsequent self-reported goal achievement.

Handgrip Strength to Predict the Risk of All-Cause and Premature Mortality in Korean Adults: A 10-Year Cohort Study

The prospective association of muscular weakness with the risk of all-cause and premature mortality in a general population remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the prospective effects of handgrip strength and muscular weakness on risk for all-cause and premature mortality over 10 years using a large nationwide sample of Korean adults. The study participants included 9229 middle and older adults (4131 males and 5098 females), using data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing 2006–2016. Muscular strength was measured using handgrip strength. Muscle weakness was defined using the sex-specific handgrip strength index based on the Asian Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (AWGSOP). The primary outcome was all-cause and premature mortality assessed based on the death certificate. The hazard ratio (HR) for all-cause mortality was negatively associated with level of handgrip strength independent of potential confounding factors (HR: 2.06, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.62–2.63 for lowest quartile vs. highest quartile). When examined using muscle weakness defined using the AWGSOP diagnosis, the mortality was 1.56 times higher in the weak group (HR: 1.56, 95% CI: 1.36–1.78). We also found that risk of premature mortality was observed in the lowest quartile (HR: 2.34, 95% CI: 1.80–3.05) and the muscle weakness group (HR: 1.80, 95% CI: 1.52–2.13) in the fully adjusted model. Our 10-year prospective cohort study showed that handgrip strength and muscle weakness are strongly associated with an increased risk of all-cause and premature mortality in healthy middle-aged and older adults.

Habitual tea consumption and 5-year incident metabolic syndrome among older adults: a community-based cohort study

Background The effect of tea consumption on metabolic syndrome (MetS) remains controversial. The objective of this study is to examine the prospective association of tea consumption with 5-year incident MetS among aged population in China. Methods This analysis included 3005 Chinese adults aged 60 years or older who were free of MetS at baseline examination. MetS was defined according to the National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III. Information regarding tea consumption was collected via an interviewer-administrated questionnaire. The prospective associations between tea consumption at baseline and 5-year incident MetS, as well as its individual components, were assessed by multiple logistic regression models. Results Of the 3005 participants free of MetS at baseline, 406 participants (cumulative incidence: 13.5%) developed MetS at the 5-year follow-up examination. In multiple logistic regressions, 5-year cumulative incidence of MetS was found to be higher in those who drank tea more than 5 times per week as compared with non-habitual drinkers (OR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.05-1.82; P = 0.02). This relationship still existed in men (OR = 1.43, 95%CI: 1.00-2.01; P = 0.05) when stratified by gender. Among the five major components of MetS, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was observed in men, while high body mass index, elevated blood pressure and the presence of diabetes mellitus were significant in women. Conclusions High-frequent tea consumption increased the risk of MetS among older Chinese adults. These findings may add novel knowledge to the current studies regarding the controversial effect of tea consumption on cardiovascular and metabolic health among the aged population.

Links of Short Physical Performance Battery Score with Incident Dementia: Results from the NHATS

Physical performance is associated with cognitive function in later life, but few studies have examined the prospective association of physical performance with incident dementia. We studied 4539 community-dwelling National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) participants aged ≥65 years with data on demographics and the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) in 2011, who were followed through 2014. Our outcome was dementia diagnosis from a validated NHATS algorithm. We applied survey weights to make results nationally representative and performed Cox regression analyses. After adjustment for potential confounders, lower baseline SPPB scores were associated with incident dementia (HR=1.68, p < 0.01). Slower gait speed was the SPPB component most strongly associated with incident dementia (HR=1.21, p < 0.01). We found that poorer physical performance was linked to incident dementia in a cohort of older adults. More research is needed to examine the effect of improving physical performance on the prevention of dementia.

Long-Term Variability in Body Weight in Relation to the Risk of Dementia: A Prospective Cohort Study

The prospective association of body weight variability with dementia remains unclear. We aimed to investigate whether long-term variability in body weight is associated with the risk of late-life dementia and to explore their potential temporal relationship using data from a nationwide prospective cohort study of the United States. A total of 5,556 participants free of dementia in 2008 (55.66% women; mean [SD] age, 71.1 [3.1] years) were followed up to 8 years for doctor-diagnosed dementia reported biennially. Body weight variability was assessed as the coefficient of variation utilizing the body weight information collected over 16 years before 2008. Cox proportion hazard model was applied to estimate hazard ratio (HR) of dementia associated with body weight variability. Higher body weight variability was associated with an increased incidence of dementia after controlling for sociodemographic factors, lifestyle, mean body weight, and body weight change. The multi-variable adjusted HR of dementia of the highest quartile of body weight variability was 2.01 (95% CI 1.01-1.87) compared with the lowest. Every 1% increment in variability was associated with a 6.2% higher risk of dementia (HR=1.06, 95%CI 1.04,1.09, p-trend<0.001). Such association was observed for both Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, with stronger association observed when body weight variability was assessed closer to dementia assessment.

Prospective Analysis Between Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio on Admission and Development of Delirium Among Older Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19

Objective: To examine any prospective association between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) at hospital admission and subsequent delirium in older COVID-19 hospitalized patients comparing by sex and age groups.Methods: The sample consisted of 1,785 COVID-19 adult inpatients (minimum sample size required of 635 participants) admitted to a public general hospital in Madrid (Spain) between March 16th and April 15th, 2020. Variables were obtained from electronic health records. Binary logistic regression models were performed between baseline NLR and delirium adjusting for age, sex, medical comorbidity, current illness severity, serious mental illness history and use of chloroquine and dexamethasone. An NLR cut-off was identified, and stratified analyses were performed by age and sex. Also, another biomarker was tested as an exposure (the systemic immune-inflammation index –SII).Results: 55.3% of the patients were men, with a mean age of 66.8 years. Roughly 13% of the patients had delirium during hospitalization. NLR on admission predicted subsequent delirium development (adjusted OR = 1.02, 95 percent CI: 1.00–1.04, p = 0.024). Patients between 69 and 80 years with NLR values > 6.3 presented a twofold increased risk for delirium (p = 0.004). There were no sex differences in the association between baseline NLR and delirium (p > 0.05) nor SII predicted delirium development (p = 0.341).Conclusion: NLR is a good predictor of delirium during hospitalization, especially among older adults, independently of medical comorbidity, illness severity, and other covariates. Routine blood tests on admission might provide valuable information to guide the decision-making process to be followed with these especially vulnerable patients.