Rotating savings and credit association, its members' diversity, and higher-level functional capacity: A 3-year prospective study from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study

Height and Weight, Not Body Mass Index, Are Closely Associated With Activities of Daily Living in Japanese Older Adults

Body mass index (BMI) is routinely used to ascertain health status, including activities of daily living (ADLs); however, the associations of ADLs with height and weight in older adults have not been elucidated. Therefore, we cross-sectionally investigated the correlations between ADLs and height, weight, and BMI in 155 participants aged 82 to 103 years and characterized the naïve Bayesian prediction for ADLs. Activities of daily living showed a significant negative correlation with height and weight and a positive correlation with age. In males, a shorter height was associated with an increased risk of falling and disability in phone calling independently, and losing weight was associated with an increased risk of disability in going out. Combining age, weight, and height improved the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve in the prediction of disability in going out and phone calling independently in males. Therefore, height and weight, not BMI, are potential predictors of ADL decline.

Effects of types and levels of social capital on emotional well-being for older people in Indonesia: A longitudinal study

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of different types and levels of social capital and emotional well-being in older adults in Indonesia by a longitudinal data.

METHODS

The fourth and the fifth waves of Indonesian Family Life Survey data were used for this study. The participants aged 60 years or older who participated in both waves were included for analysis (n = 1374). Depressive symptoms and happiness were used to assess emotional well-being. Cognitive social capital (neighborhood trust) and structural social capital (participating in arisan, community meetings, volunteers, village improvement programs, and religious activities) were the main independent variables. The generalized estimating equations model was used for analysis.

RESULTS

Participation in arisan (B = -0.534) and attending religious activities (B = -0.591) were related to lower depressive symptoms, but the effect of religious activities would offset over time. Both a low or high social participation showed protective effects on depressive symptoms at the intercept and the time slope. Having higher neighborhood trust was related to more chance of feeling very happy (OR = 1.518).

CONCLUSION

Structural social capital is protective from depressive symptoms, while cognitive social capital contributes to happiness. Facilitating social participation and improving neighborhood trust through policies and programs is suggested to promote emotional well-being for older people.

Super-multifactorial survey YHAB revealed high prevalence of sleep apnoea syndrome in unaware older adults and potential combinatorial factors for its initial screening

Study Objectives: Aging is a risk factor for sleep apnoea syndrome (SAS), which is associated with lower quality of life and sudden mortality. However, SAS is often overlooked in older adults without suspicions. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate SAS incidence and 48 other general factors in older adults. Methods: This cross-sectional study included all non-caregiver-certified, healthy individuals (N = 32) who survived during the long-term cohort study and agreed to participate in apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) measurement (aged 83-95 years). AHI and 48 other general factors were evaluated, and simple linear regression analysis was used to identify potential AHI-related factors. Stepwise evaluation was further performed using multiple linear regression analyses. Results: Although no individuals were previously diagnosed with SAS, 30 (93.75%) participants had some degree of SAS (AHI > 5/h), and 22 (68.75%) had severe or moderate SAS (AHI > 15/h). Compared with typical single risk factors represented by body mass index, combining daily steps and other factors improved the fit to the multiple linear regression. Combining daily steps and body mass index improved the fit for males and combining daily steps and red blood cell count improved the fit for females. Conclusion: SAS was highly prevalent in unaware healthy Japanese older adults; combinations of daily steps and body mass index, and daily steps and red blood cell count may predict AHI in such individuals without the need for a specific AHI test.

Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment Using the Yoitoko Check-Up, a Novel Health Check-Up Providing Positive Feedback to Older Adults: A Before-After Study

Purpose

The Yoitoko check-up, a novel health check-up providing positive feedback, has been developed to promote health among older adults, and consists of several comprehensive geriatric assessment items. This report aimed to describe the details of the Yoitoko check-up and to explore the future possibility of the check-up by evaluating the participants’ short-term behavioral changes in terms of comprehensive functioning, using a before-after study design.

Patients and Methods

Four Yoitoko check-ups were conducted, at 3-month intervals, between December 2018 and September 2019. Study participants aged ≥65 years included those who had undergone ≥2 Yoitoko check-ups. The results of each visit after the second check-ups were retrospectively compared with those of the baseline, and the mean changes and the odds ratios were calculated using a paired t-test or a McNemar test, respectively.

Results

Of 84 participants, the results of 16 (19.0%) participants were analyzed. The mean (standard deviation) age was 75.3 (4.7) years. The mean Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence score, a measure of high-level functional capacity, increased 0.9 (95% confidence interval; range, 0.2–1.5) points between the first and second visits.

Conclusion

We developed the Yoitoko check-up and introduced the details of it. Our study findings suggested that the Yoitoko check-up may further motivate older adults to improve their health and promote positive behavioral changes. Future studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of this novel assessment method.

Rotating savings and credit association, its members' diversity, and higher-level functional capacity: A 3-year prospective study from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study

Aim

A rotating savings and credit association – an informal local microfinance group – provides community‐dwelling older adults with cohesive social capital. This study examined whether participation in mujin, a traditional Japanese rotating savings and credit association, affected the maintenance of higher‐level functional capacity in older adults.

Methods

We studied 10 991 older adults living in 24 municipalities in Japan who were aged ≥65 years, and physically and cognitively independent. We carried out a baseline survey in 2013 and a follow‐up survey in 2016. Higher‐level functional capacity, consisting of instrumental activities of daily living, intellectual activity and social role, was assessed using the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence. To address potential reverse causation, we used stabilized inverse probability weights to balance characteristics at baseline between mujin participants and non‐participants.

Results

In our analytic sample, 406 out of 10 991 older adults (3.7%) participated in mujin at the baseline. Our weighted logistic regression showed that mujin participants were more likely to maintain higher‐level functional capacity (i.e. full marks in the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence) 3 years later compared with non‐participants (odds ratio 1.75, 95% confidence interval 1.29–2.39). Furthermore, independent social role functioning and intellectual activity were associated with participation in mujin for an equal number of both sexes, as well as people of high social standing.

Conclusions

The present study suggests that rotating savings and credit associations can help older adults maintain their independence in a higher‐level functional capacity. Furthermore, the members' diversity might add to these beneficial effects. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 1268–1274.