The Impact of Big Five Personality Traits on Older Europeans’ Physical Health

Investigating the role of Big Five personality traits in relation to various health outcomes has been extensively studied. The impact of “Big Five” on physical health is here explored for older Europeans with a focus on examining age groups differences. The study sample included 378,500 respondents derived from the seventh data wave of Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The physical health status of older Europeans was estimated by constructing an index considering the combined effect of well-established health indicators such as the number of chronic diseases, mobility limitations, limitations with basic and instrumental activities of daily living, and self-perceived health. This index was used for an overall physical health assessment, for which the higher the score for an individual, the worst health level. Then, through a dichotomization process applied to the retrieved Principal Component Analysis scores, a two-group discrimination (good or bad health status) of SHARE participants was obtained as regards their physical health condition, allowing for further con-structing logistic regression models to assess the predictive significance of “Big Five” and their protective role for physical health. Results showed that neuroti-cism was the most significant predictor of physical health for all age groups un-der consideration, while extraversion, agreeableness and openness were not found to significantly affect the self-reported physical health levels of midlife adults aged 50 up to 64. Older adults aged 65 up to 79 were more prone to open-ness, whereas the oldest old individuals aged 80 up to 105 were mainly affected by openness and conscientiousness. .

Insights into the Social Determinants of Health in Older Adults

In this paper, we review the social determinants of health in older adults and their complex interrelationship with medical diseases. Also, we provide recommendations to address these determinants in the integrated healthcare plan. The social determinants in older adults and its influence in health outcomes have been studied for decades. There is solid evidence for the interrelationship between social factors and the health of individuals and populations;however, these studies are unable to define their complex interrelatedness. Health is quite variable and depends on multiple biological and social factors such as genetics, country of origin, migrant status, etc. On the other hand, health status can affect social factors such as job or education. Addressing social determinants of health in the integrated healthcare plan is important for improving health outcomes and decreasing existing disparities in older adult health. We recommend a person-centered approach in which individualized interventions should be adopted by organizations to improve the health status of older adults at the national and global level. Some of our practical recommendations to better address the social determinants of health in clinical practice are EHR documentation strategies, screening tools, and the development of linkages to the world outside of the clinic and health system, including social services, community activities, collaborative work, and roles for insurance companies.

Oral health status of older people in residential homes in Saudi Arabia

The aim of the study was to de-termine the oral health status and treatment needs of elderly residents of residential homes in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: Among 129 elderly residents, 83 (51 males, and 32 females) of them were interviewed and clini-cally examined according to WHO criteria by two calibrated dentists. Results: The mean age of the subjects was 72 ± 8.5. Male subjects had a higher smoking rate than females. Among elderly subjects below 74 years old, 20.8% had a functional dentition (> or = 20), while only 6.7% for those aged greater or equal to 75 years (p = 0.0004). Mean number of the sound teeth in all subjects was 6.7 ± 8.5. The mean number of DMFT was 18.6 ± 12.6. The missing component was the highest (16 ± 13) for both genders. The mean number of decayed roots was 2.75 ± 3.95 in males and 0.63 ± 1.96 in females. Overall, males had more sound and decayed teeth and less filled and missed teeth than females. There was no significant difference between males and females in periodontal problems except the calculus scores. The majority of subjects in need for tooth extraction were male subjects. With no gender difference 63% were in need for restorations, 40% needed upper and lower full dentures. Need for partial dentures was 38% upper and 48% lower. Conclusion: The oral health of the institutionalized elderly population in Saudi Arabia is generally poor and their treatment needs are high.

Modelling social determinants of self-evaluated health of poor older people in a middle-income developing nation

Over the last 2 decades (1988-2007), poverty in Jamaica has fallen by 67.5%, and this is within the context of a 194.7% increase in inflation for 2007 over 2006. It does not abate there, as Jamaicans are reporting more health conditions in a 4-week period (15.5% in 2007) and at the same time this corresponds to a decline in the percentage of people seeking medical care. Older people’s health status is of increasing concern, given the high rates of prostate cancer, genitourinary disorders, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and the presence of risk factors such as smoking. Yet, there is a dearth of studies on the health status of older people in the two poor quintiles. This study examined 1) the health status of those elderly Jamaicans who were in the two poor quintiles and 2) factors that are associated with their health status. A sample of 1,149 elderly respondents, with an average age of 72.6 years (SD = 8.7 years) were extracted from a total survey of 25,018 Jamaicans. The initial survey sample was selected from a stratified probability sampling frame of Jamaicans. An administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. Descriptive statistics were used to examine background information on the sample, and stepwise logistic regression was used to ascertain the factors which are associated with health status. The health status of older poor people was influenced by 6 factors, and those factors accounted for 26.6% of the variability in health status: Health insurance coverage (OR = 13.90;95% CI: 7.98-24.19), age of respondents (OR = 7.98;95% CI: 1.02-1.06), and secondary level education (OR=1.82;95% CI: 1.35-2.45). Males are less likely to report good health status than females (OR = 0.56;95% CI: 0.42-0.75). Older people in Jamaica do not purchase health insurance coverage as a preventative measure but as a curative measure. Health insurance coverage in this study does not indicate good health but is a proxy of poor health status. The demand of the health services in Jamaica in the future must be geared towards a particular age cohort and certain health conditions, and not only to the general population, as the social determinants which give rise to inequities are not the same, even among the same age cohort.

Depressed Older Patients’ Need for and Expectations of Improved Health Services—An Evaluative Approach to the Chronic Care Model

Depression in later life is an underrepresented yet important research area. The aim of the study was to explore depressed older persons’ need for and expectations of improved health services one year after implementation of the Chronic Care Model (CCM). A qualitative evaluative design was used. Data were collected through individual interviews with older persons living in Norway. The qualitative content analysis revealed two themes: The need to be safeguarded and Expectation of being considered valuable and capable. Evaluation of the improvement in care with focus on the CCM components showed that the most important components for improving the depressed older person’s daily life were: delivery system re-design, self-management support, productive interaction and a well-informed active patient. The findings highlight the need for a health services designed for persons suffering from chronic ill-health, where the CCM could serve as a framework for policy change and support the redesign of the existing healthcare system. We conclude that older persons with depression need attention, especially those who have been suffering for many years. The identified components may have implications for health professionals in the promotion of mental healthcare.

Development of the Making the Connection Intervention to Address Loneliness and Isolation in Older Adults

Fifty percent of individuals aged over 60 are reported at risk of social isolation and one-third will experience some degree of loneliness later in life. Isolation and loneliness have been reported as having negative consequences for mental and physical health and mortality. Existing supportive interventions, even when successful are not widely adopted or utilized. A developmental, mixed methods approach was taken to building and testing the components and delivery of an intervention, Making the Connection (MTC) in preparation for mounting a larger, systematic test. Method: The approach relied upon the six steps of 6sQuID for the development of public health interventions: 1) Define and understand the problem and its causes. 2) Clarify which causal or contextual factors are malleable. 3) Identify how to bring about change. 4) Identify how to deliver the change mechanism. 5) Test and refine on small scale. 6) Collect sufficient evidence of effectiveness to justify rigorous evaluation/implementation. Depressive symptoms, how often people felt lonely, and size of social networks were quantitatively measured and analyzed. Qualitative measures were also used. Findings: All six steps in the 6sQuiD model were followed in building the intervention for potential testing. In an initial test within CCRC facilities, five loneliness-related areas were examined qualitatively and identified as potentially modifiable. Testing of a subsequent 10-session gamified intervention established trends for reduced reports of symptoms of depression, and increases in social connections. Pre and post-test found there was a statistically significant reduction in reports of loneliness in the past week. Discussion: Making the Connection manualized intervention appears both feasible and viable, a necessary first step to prepare for more systematic evaluation in a randomized control trial.

Physical activity among older Chinese adults living in urban and rural areas: A review

With an increase in rural-to-urban migration, a rapidly aging population, and the rising risk of developing noncommunicable diseases in China,it is important to understand the epidemiology of physical activity(PA) and health in the context of disease prevention and population health.Despite its public health importance, there is a significant lack of knowledge about PA in older Chinese adults that may hamper primary prevention efforts of health promotion in an increasingly aging population. To fill this gap, this article presents a narrative review of PA in the older Chinese adult population with a special focus on residential settings(i.e., urban and rural). Using existing studies, the review examines overall PA patterns and their correlates and discusses public health implications and future research. Although there are some preliminary indications of urban and rural differences in PA in the aging population in China, continued research efforts are needed to facilitate primary prevention efforts aimed at reducing noncommunicable diseases and promoting an active lifestyle among the largest population of older people in the world.

Development of a Social Activities Scale for Community-Dwelling Older Men Requiring Support in Japan

Aim: We developed a scale to measure the social activities of community-dwelling older men requiring support. Methods: The participants were a group of 134 men, ≥65 years old, who required support and were living in Hokkaido, Japan. An anonymous questionnaire was administered through individual interviews. Valid responses were obtained from 121/134 interviewees. The construct validity of the resulting scale was assessed by exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Criterion-related validity was tested with Spearman’s rank correlation test based on the Social Activities Index for Elderly People (SAI-E). Reliability was assessed by Cronbach’s alpha. Results: A Social Activities Scale for Community-dwelling Older Men Requiring Support (SASOMS) scale was created, comprised of the following three subscales: daily interactions with familiar people;intimate relationships with family members;and interactions with others through activity programs (e.g., exercise, games, recreation, etc.). The created SASOMS scale correlated with the SAI-E (r = 0.557), and its criterion-related validity was confirmed. The alpha coefficient of the new scale was 0.791, and its internal consistency was confirmed. Conclusions: The reliability and validity of the developed SASOMS scale was confirmed, demonstrating that it can be used to assess social activities specifically in older men requiring support. Our results suggest that the scale can be used effectively by care providers who support older men requiring care. The usability of the SASOMS should continue to be improved, and it is necessary to verify its validity in longitudinal studies.

Evaluation of health determinants for sustaining workability in aging US workforce

Growth of older population in United States requires multi-generational evaluation to characterize health measures for sustaining workability. Investigation of measures that working population would need and use with their work-life in an attempt to stay healthy and fit, could potentially reveal significant association that could extend workability and enhance work productivity such as performance, presenteeism, job satisfaction. Evaluation with selective longitudinal health profiling;employment prerequisites;socio-economic and psychological scales could characterize health measures significantly associated with work sustainability. Such health measures could potentially be employed by US working population early in their life and occupation to sustain and improve workability in their later epoch.

Physical activity and health in the presence of China's economic growth:Meeting the public health challenges of the aging population

Three decades of rapid economic development in China have not only benefited millions of Chinese by improving their living standards but have also dramatically increased the number of people who are part of the country's aging population. However, economic growth has not been accompanied by sufficient attention given to important public health issues, including an increase in the incidence of chronic diseases and a decline in physical activity(PA) that comes with an aging population. The rapid growth in China's older population will soon exert an impact on the nation's economy, population health status, and health behaviors, and will increase stress on its healthcare system. This review article provides a broad perspective on the impact of rapid economic development, industrialization, and urbanization on health-related behaviors, with a specific focus on PA among older adults. Specifically, the article offers an overview of the demographic context, significant public health challenges,evidence on PA and exercise interventions, and knowledge gaps and future directions for research.

Disability and health service utilization among old Koreans

This study compared persons with disabilities with those without disabilities in terms of health services utilization and examined the factors associated with the use of inpatient hospital services. Data on a sample of 4040 older adults (65+ years of age) from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing were used. Descriptive and logistic regression analysis was performed examining sample characteristics of participants with and without disabilities and factors significantly associated with health services utilization. This study showed that the elderly with disabilities used significantly more inpatient hospital services than the elderly without disabilities. As expected, poor health was clearly the most influential factor explaining the use of inpatient hospital services. The second most influential factor in determining use of medical services is disability. Persons with disabilities had a twofold or more increase in the odds of using inpatient hospital services. Likewise, the person with chronic condition had also an additional twofold increase in risk for medical services due to the chronic condition. Chronic conditions were clearly the third influential factor explaining the use of inpatient hospital services. Finally, females were a small margin more likely to use inpatient hospital services than males.

Strength, Power and Resistance Training in Older Women

Purpose: It has been established that physical exercise generally improves the physical performance of older people. This finding has led to an increase in studies into the most efficient forms of exercise. The aim of this study was to compare the efficiency of three types of exercise: aerobic, strength and muscle power, in improving the functional capacity of older people. Methods: A study was undertaken of 123 physically independent older women who did no physical exercise. The women were placed randomly into four groups: a Control Group (CG, n = 33) who did no exercise;an Aerobic Group (AG, n = 30) who did mild intensity muscle resistance exercises, combined with medium intensity gait training;a Strength Group (SG, n = 30) which performed high resistance localized exercises;and a Power Group (PG, n = 30) which did high-speed localized medium resistance exercises. The tests applied were aerobic endurance: six minute walking test (6MWT);maximum strength: one repetition maximum test (1RM);power: Tendo Weightlifting Analyzer (TWA);and agility: standing and walking. AG, SG and PG underwent 24 exercise sessions. Results: All the groups except for CG demonstrated significant improvement in all the tests applied. There were non-statistically significant differences between the gains made by the AG, SG and PG groups in the 6MWT, power and agility tests. SG was significantly superior to the other groups in the 1RM test. Conclusions: Aerobic, strength and muscle training improved the functional capacity of older people. SG was notably superior to the other groups in the 1RM test.

What determines walking of older people in their neighborhood?

Based on literature review and five focus groups, a model was analyzed describing individual, social environmental and physical environmental (perceived) determinants of walking by older people. Aim was to test whether these determinants were significantly associated with the duration of walking by older people (N = 567, 50 - 80 years) in a middle-sized Dutch town. Walking time was best predicted by attitude towards walking (partial correlation in model (partial r) 0.18;p r 0.12, p r 0.21 p r - 0.14, p r 0.28 p < 0.01). The model explained 20% of the total variance in walking time. Conclusion is that individual and social determinants predicted the most variance in walking time and that perceived environmental determinants played only a minor role. Health promotion actions may benefit from these insights.

Social integration: How is it related to self-rated health?

Social integration has well-established health benefits among older adults in observational studies. However, interventions designed to increase social integration have not improved health suggesting important knowledge gaps on how social integration influences health outcomes. This study developed a new measure of social integration, daily social contact, capturing the interpersonal nature of social integration and mobility of individuals, and providing a direct assessment of individuals’ real-time access to companionship and social support. The data used is the 2006-2007 American Time Use Survey (ATUS), which surveyed 25,191 individuals aged 15 years and older (n = 4378 aged 65 years and older). Generalized ordinal logistic regression analyses revealed positive, but non-parallel relationships between daily social contacts and the ordinal categories of self-rated health among older adults. This study may be used to identify populations that experience social exclusion, such that future research can determine more precisely how to intervene to improve health outcomes.

The Elder Health Information Technology Framework for Geriatric Care in Rural India: A Policy Initiative

Healthcare monitoring and analysis of healthcare parameters is a reality to reduce costs and increase access to specialist and experts that holds the future for geriatric care in India. This paper proposes distinct methods towards the implementation of rural elder health information technologies (IT), which includes electronic medical records, clinical decision support, mobile medical applications, and software driven medical devices used in the diagnosis or treatment of disease for the older adult population in the villages of India. The purpose is online patient satisfaction at the microlevel (village panchayat) through methods accessible and affordable by establishing a common standard of operations at the village primary care units giving way to early disease detection and routine screening among the aged population avoiding institutionalization. The rural elder health IT framework is of great interest for all stakeholders in the field, as it benefits the investors and the consumers, adding to the technological infrastructure, thereby opening new avenues of research in health informatics, telemedicine and enhancing the scope of geriatric research, which in turn enhances the health-related quality of life for the rural older adults in the remote villages of the nation.

主题差异化视角下老年人健康信息行为研究综述

[目的/意义]老年人健康信息行为研究是信息行为研究的一个特定领域,自身具有特定的研究现象和机理。健康信息深刻地影响老年人的健康行为,尤其老年人的潜在不适当用药和过度用药都与健康信息行为相关。[方法/过程]采用系统文献综述法,对老年人健康信息行为发生的机制、内在影响因素和外在环境的相关领域主题进行分类梳理,以研究热点问题、成果与挑战进行展开。[结果/结论]老年人健康信息行为与中青年人健康信息行为关注点存在着较大差异;城乡、不同发展阶段、不同社会属性、不同个体特征和不同场景下老年人健康信息行为也存在较大差异。老年人健康信息行为影响因素总体解释模型研究,健康信息需求、动机与体验,决策模型,数智社会环境下老年人健康信息行为,老年人健康数据安全和隐私保护,个性化健康监管,健康信息系统和健康信息平台等在未来可以成为老年人健康信息行为研究的热点领域。

基于Kano模型的兰州老旧住区公共空间健康需求评价分析研究

基于Kano模型,以老旧住区公共空间为研究对象,通过问卷调查和数据分析,对兰州市主城四区内的老旧住区公共空间的现状及其健康需求进行全面深入的评价分析研究,建立包括生理健康、心理健康、社会健康三大维度下21项指标的评价指标体系。运用Kano模型分析统计影响公共空间健康需求满意度的各指标需求属性,通过Better-Worse系数聚类分析计算各指标的敏感度并对其进行优先级排序,精准确定老旧住区公共空间优化和改造设计重点,预期结果将为住区规划和设计人员提供重要参考,同时也为政策制定者提供决策依据。

老年数字健康服务的发展、应用与挑战

数字技术在老年健康服务中的应用日益成为焦点。针对中国人口老龄化背景,探讨数字技术在老年健康服务中的应用、挑战及创新方向。通过回顾自21世纪初以来老年人在数字化健康服务中的角色演变,指出老年人群在数字社会中的边缘化问题。进而聚焦现有研究中关于老年人使用数字技术时面临的主要挑战,包括技术可及性、用户适应性、伦理与安全、人性化服务等问题,提出提高老年人的数字素养和社会参与度的解决策略和研究焦点,从理论和实践层面为老年健康服务的数字化转型提供全面见解。

网络直播情境下老年人虚假健康信息采纳行为的扎根分析

文章探究我国城镇老年人虚假健康信息采纳行为的形成机理,丰富老年人虚假健康信息行为理论,为虚假健康信息治理提供参考。研究选取16名接触过网络虚假健康信息的城镇老年人作为研究对象,采用半结构化访谈方法收集数据,运用扎根理论对访谈文本进行编码分析,结合信息操纵理论构建相应的理论模型,探究城镇社区老年人虚假健康信息采纳行为的影响因素及形成机理。研究发现:网络直播情境下平台信息操纵是老年人采纳虚假健康信息的主要影响因素,信息操纵通过求利心理、人情偏向及沉浸体验达到老年人采纳虚假健康信息的目的;而老年人则通过文化自信、自我效能应对平台信息操纵,其中自我效能感的高低对平台信息操纵的影响呈现显著差异。

Use of Social Cognitive Theory to Assess Salient Clinical Research in Chronic Disease Self-Management for Older Adults: An Integrative Review

The purpose of this integrative review is to evaluate research pertaining to self-management programs for older adults with chronic diseases using Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) for behavior change. The focus is application of the SCT domains to self-management programs. The exploration of the current chronic disease self-management research provides an understanding of the Social Cognitive Theory concepts studied in interventional self-management research. The integrative review explicated two areas related to the theory in need of further research. First, social support has not been thoroughly explored as a mechanism for enhancing self-management interventions. Second, moral disengagement was not identified as a focus within chronic disease research raising the question about the impact of moral disengagement on long-term adherence and behavior change.