Influence of history of smoking on the physical capacity of older people

A comparison of quality of life between older adults living in high and low altitude areas

Background

High altitude is known to have a significant impact on human physiology and health, therefore, understanding its relationship with quality of life is an important research area. This study compared the quality of life (QOL) in older adults living in high and low altitude areas, and examined the independent correlates of QOL in those living in a high altitude area.

Methods

Older adults living in three public nursing homes in Xining (high altitude area) and one public nursing home in Guangzhou (low altitude area) were recruited. The WHOQOL-BREF was used to measure the QOL.

Results

644 older adults (male: 39.1%) were included, with 207 living in high altitude and 437 living in low altitude areas. After controlling for the covariates, older adults living in the high altitude area had higher QOL in terms of physical (P = 0.035) and social domains (P = 0.002), but had lower QOL in psychological (P = 0.009) domain compared to their counterparts living in the low altitude area. For older adults living in the high altitude area, smoking status was associated with higher social QOL (P = 0.021), good financial status was associated with higher physical QOL (P = 0.035), and fair or good health status was associated with higher physical (p < 0.001) and psychological QOL (P = 0.046), while more severe depressive symptoms were associated with lower QOL.

Conclusion

Appropriate interventions and support to improve depressive symptoms and both financial and health status should be developed for older adults living in high altitude areas to improve their QOL.

Impaired Activity of Daily Living Status of the Older Adults and Its Influencing Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study

This study aimed to explore the impaired activity of the daily living ability status and its influencing factors among older adults. A sample of 10,148 participants (≥60 years old) who met the requirements for the activity of daily living scale was used in this study, and the Health and Aging Tracking Survey was selected for data collection. The impaired activities of the daily living status of older adults and their influencing factors were analyzed by single-factor descriptive analysis and multi-factor logistic regression. The study results showed that the rate of impaired activities of the daily living ability of participants was 26.56%, among which the rate of mild impairment was 17.34% and severe impairment was 9.22%. Multi-factor binary logistic regression analysis results showed that demographic characteristics, lifestyle habits, and physical health status were associated with older adults' daily living activity ability. Among them, ages ≥80 years, male, habitual smoking, physical disability, and chronic diseases had a more significant impact.

Measurements of Older Adults' Physical Competence under the Concept of Physical Literacy: A Scoping Review

Physical literacy, especially in the fields of physical education and public health, has been gaining global interest in recent years. Applying an appropriate method to measure physical competence under the concept of physical literacy for older adults aligns with the goal of healthy aging. In this scoping review, we reflected on previous empirical studies regarding the measurements of physical competence among older adults holistically and systematically to identify and analyze gaps in the topic of “physical literacy” among older adults as a precursor to a systematic review. We searched five databases using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) for Protocols guidelines: (1) SPORTDiscus; (2) PubMed; (3) Scopus; (4) ScienceDirect; and (5) Web of Science. There were 29 studies included in our thematic analysis. Through our review, we found that 73% of the mean age of the participants comprised older baby boomers who were from 65–74 years old as aging continues. Therefore, more effort should be made in developing physical literacy for older adults with the goal of health promotion. Our results showed that most studies adopted both self-reported and objective measures, in which objective measures were widely embraced by scholars in the measurement, while self-reported measures were encouraged to be included in the assessment as well. Using assessment tools to measure a combination of actual physical competence and perceived physical competence is recommended in the measurement of physical competence, especially in older adults. In addition, other elements of physical literacy should be taken into account when measuring physical competency in older adults. For future implementation, when framing the model to chart physical literacy for older adults, it is important to review the definition again and adopt a holistic measurement system including every aspect of physical literacy.

Relationship between cigarette smoking and one leg with eyes closed balance in Japanese men

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the link between cigarette smoking and one leg with eyes closed balance in Japanese men.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

We used data from 4224 Japanese men, aged 43.3 ± 13.9 years, in this cross-sectional study. Balance, such as one leg with eyes closed balance was measured. In addition, cigarette smoking habits were obtained by well-trained medical staff. The effect of cigarette smoking on one leg with eye closed balance was evaluated.

RESULTS

A total of 1613 men (38.2 %) had smoking habit and 1471 men (34.8 %) regularly exercised. Age-related changes in one leg with eyes closed balance were noted. One leg with eyes closed balance in subjects with cigarette smoking (30.9 ± 31.8 s) was significantly lower than those in subjects without cigarette smoking (32.4 ± 33.5 s) even after adjusting for confounding factors i.e. age, body weight and exercise habits.

CONCLUSION

Cigarette smoking might be associated with one leg with eyes closed balance in Japanese men.