Is Marital Quality Related to Physical Activity Across the Life Course for Men and Women?

Does Social Support Moderate the Relationship Between Frailty and Functional Ability Trajectory Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults?

BACKGROUND

Functional ability is the important prerequisite to live independently and achieve aging in place, which depends on the complex interaction of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Identifying the trends and influencing factors of functional ability would contribute to the accurate assessment and intervention of geriatric health. This study aimed to disentangle the moderating effect of 3 types of social support, namely objective support, subjective support, and support utilization, on the relationship between frailty and functional ability trajectories.

METHODS

This was a secondary analysis using data from a prospective 3-wave study with a sample of 777 Chinese community-dwelling older adults. Social support was assessed using the Social Support Rating scale. Frailty was assessed using the FRAIL scale. Functional ability was measured by the Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scale. Latent growth curve models were implemented to test their relationships.

RESULTS

Objective support but not subjective support or support utilization moderated on the relationship between frailty and functional ability slope. Functional ability decline over time was buffered by objective support among robust individuals but exacerbated among (pre)frail individuals.

CONCLUSIONS

The moderating effect of social support on the relationship between frailty and functional ability trajectory varies by support types, which reminded that social support may be a promising intervention target to maintain functional independence for frail individuals, opening up a new perspective on social support in the field of disability prevention. Effective interventions should particularly address objective support in conjunction with empowering the frail older population to optimize the trajectory of functional ability.

Loneliness predicts decreased physical activity in widowed but not married or unmarried individuals

Background

Physical activity is associated with improved health and function in older adults, yet most older adults are sedentary. Loneliness is associated with decreased physical activity at the cross-section, but longitudinal studies are scarce. We examined longitudinal associations between loneliness and physical activity-and whether they were modified by marital status and network size (the number of children, relatives, and friends a person interacts with at least once a month).

Methods

We analyzed data from 1,931 older adults without dementia at baseline from the Rush Memory and Aging Project with a mean follow-up of 4.8 years (mean age 79.6 ± 7.7, 74.9% women). Loneliness was assessed using the de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale. Physical activity was assessed as the frequency with which participants engaged in five categories of activities (e.g., walking, gardening, calisthenics, bicycling, and swimming). Linear mixed effects models examined associations between baseline loneliness and change in physical activity over time after adjusting for demographics, depressive symptoms, global cognition, disability, network size, marital status, social support, and social and cognitive activities. We assessed for effect modification by marital status and network size.

Results

Associations between loneliness and physical activity differed by marital status. In widowed individuals, baseline loneliness was associated with a 0.06 h/week greater decrease in physical activity per year compared to those who were not lonely (p = 0.005, CI -0.1, 0.02)-which equaled a 150% decrease in physical activity per year. Loneliness did not predict a statistically significant decrease in physical activity in married or unmarried individuals.

Discussion

Loneliness is associated with decreased physical activity in widowed older adults and should be considered in the design of interventions to prevent or slow the decline in physical activity and promote healthy aging.

Appraising the Physical Activity Levels of Saudis with Physical Disabilities: Effects of Disability Type, Mobility Assistive Devices, and Demographic Factors

Physical activity (PA) has numerous health benefits for individuals with physical disabilities (IWPD). However, it is common for activity levels to fall below the suggested limits. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence, pattern, and levels of PA among IWPD in Saudi Arabia. It also investigated the effects of individuals' type of disability, mobility assistive devices, and demographic features on PA levels. Data were collected from 238 participants, mostly male (62.2%), aged 39.76 ± 12.19 years. Among them, 19.3% had spinal conditions, 14.7% had progressive muscular dystrophy, 15.1% had multiple sclerosis, 17.6% had cerebral palsy, 16.4% had poliomyelitis, and 16.8% had limb or foot amputations. The participants were assessed using the Arabic version of the Physical Activity Scale for Individuals with Physical Disabilities (PASIPD-AR). The results showed that 62.6% (64.9% of males and 58.9% of females) met the minimum PA guidelines specified by the WHO. The average PASIPD-AR score was 10.33 ± 10.67 MET-hours/day, indicating lower PA levels, and 8.4% of individuals did not participate in any form of PA. Significant discrepancies were detected in disability type and mobility assistive device use after age adjustment. Marital status, education, and occupation greatly affected PA components. Greater attention should be paid to promoting an active lifestyle among IWPD in Saudi Arabia.

Relationship between physical activity and risk of depression in a married group

BACKGROUND

Currently, there are many different findings on the relationship between physical activity and depression, and there may be differences between genders. This study therefore focused on gender differences to understand the relationship between physical activity behaviour and the risk of depression in married individuals.

METHODS

15607 married people in the China Family Panel Studies 2020 (CFPS 2020) were used to understand the relationship between physical activity and depression risk in different populations, and the chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U-test, and binary logistic regression were used to explore the relationship between physical activity and depression risk in the married population.

RESULTS

527 (6.64%) women were at high risk of depression and 365 (4.76%) men were at high risk of depression; physical activity was associated with the risk of depression in the married population, but after incorporating demographic and relevant cognitive variables, physical activity was negatively associated with the risk of depression in women (OR = 0.94, P < 0.01) but not statistically significant with the risk of depression in men (OR = 0.96, P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Physical activity was directly related to the risk of depression in married women, but not in married men.

Life-course social connectedness: Comparing data-driven and theoretical classifications as predictors of functional limitations in adulthood

A life course perspective on social relationships highlights the importance of specific relationships at specific times in life, but analyses that account for life course trajectories in social relationships are rare. This study compares theoretical and data-driven approaches to classifying life course relationships, including multiple dimensions of social connectedness at different time points across the life course. We examine each approach's ability to predict later-life functional limitations, given that functional impairment is prevalent among middle-aged and older adults. Data were from three waves of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study (n = 6909). Relationship variables (parental affection, parental discipline, social support, social strain, and positive relations with others) were from wave 1 or wave 2. Functional limitations were measured at wave 3. Results showed that the data-driven approach had more predictive power than the theoretical approach. Additionally, results suggested that including only positive relationship features was nearly as robust as including both positive and negative relationship features. Overall, the data-driven approach outperformed the theoretical approach and revealed relationship trajectories consistent with life course cumulative processes.

Relationship between Chinese middle-aged and old couples' Confucian coping thinking and marital quality

Objective

Drawing on the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM), the present study investigated the relationship between Chinese middle-aged and old couples' Confucian coping thinking and their marital quality in the hope to provide a theoretical basis for ameliorating marital quality.

Methods

With 744 middle-aged and old couples as participants, the Confucian Coping Questionnaire (CCQ) and the Quality of Marriage Index (QMI) were employed to probe the relationship between responsibility thinking (RT), pro-setback thinking (PT), fate thinking (FT), and marital quality.

Results

Husbands' and wives' scores in responsibility thinking and pro-setback thinking had significantly positive correlations with their own and their spouses' scores in marital quality, respectively, and husbands' and wives' scores in fate thinking had significantly negative correlations with their own and their spouses' marital quality, respectively. Husbands' responsibility thinking, pro-setback thinking, and fate thinking had a significant actor effect. Husbands' responsibility thinking and fate thinking had a significant partner effect. Wives' responsibility thinking, pro-setback thinking, and fate thinking had a significant actor effect. Wives' responsibility thinking and pro-setback thinking had a significant partner effect.

Conclusion

From the perspective of dyadic relationships, the present study found that responsibility thinking and pro-setback thinking could positively predict marital quality, while pro-setback thinking could negatively predict marital quality.