Higher Levels and Intensity of Physical Activity Are Associated with Reduced Mortality among Community Dwelling Older People

Association between handgrip strength and physical activity: A nationwide population-based study in Korea

BACKGROUND

This study investigated the association between handgrip strength (HGS) and physical activity (PA) at different levels in Korean adults for the purpose of providing direction for increasing HGS, which represents muscular strength, and increasing understanding of PA and HGS.

METHODS

This study targeted adults aged ≥30 years from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2014-2019), including 31,888 participants for analysis. HGS was defined as the maximum value of the three measurements of the dominant hand. PA was defined as an activity that causes shortness of breath or a fast heartbeat. Data were weighted according to survey district and household data; p < .05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

In men, HGS in those aged 30-64 years was significantly associated with high-intensity PA and in those aged ≥65 years was associated with moderate-intensity PA. In women, HGS in those aged 30-64 years was also significantly associated with high-intensity PA, and in those aged ≥65 years, it was significantly associated with both moderate- and high-intensity PA. Moreover, compared to participants who did not participate in weight training, those who participated showed higher HGS in both sexes.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated age- and sex-specific characteristics of the association between HGS and PA in Koreans. The findings suggest the importance of managing health by considering differences in age- and sex-related PA. In particular, this study suggests that adequate PA is necessary despite its importance of PA for elderly individuals.

Health behavior among Polish institutionalized older adults: the effect of resiliency mediated by satisfaction with life

Aim

Resiliency and satisfaction with life are identified as factors related to health behavior in the general population. However, little is known about health behavior and its predictors in public nursing home residents. The purpose of the study was to establish the nature of the relationship between resiliency, satisfaction with life, and health behavior in institutionalized older adults in Poland.

Subject and methods

A cross-sectional study with purposive sampling was performed in public nursing homes in Poland. A total of 161 male and female senior residents aged 60 to 99 (Mean = 76.65, SD = 9.23) were examined. Mediation analysis was performed with the Hayes’ PROCESS macro.

Results

This study revealed that resiliency, satisfaction with life, and health behavior are positively associated with each other in older persons. Satisfaction with life plays a mediating role in the relationship between resiliency and health behavior in residents of long-term care institutions.

Conclusion

Our findings underscore the important role played by personal resources in strengthening interventions and supporting the efforts of nursing home residents to engage in health behavior.

Spirituality, satisfaction with life and health-related behavior of older residents of long-term care institutions-a pilot study

Spirituality and satisfaction with life are psychological factors related to health behavior. The aim of the study was to determine whether satisfaction with life acts as a mediator in the relationship between the spirituality of residents of long-term care institutions and their health-related behavior. A total of 102 people aged 60-99 were examined. It was found that satisfaction with life played a mediating role in the relationship between spirituality and health behavior. The study addresses the gap in knowledge regarding institutionalized older adults, exploring the role of spirituality and satisfaction with life on lifestyle in nursing home settings.

Association of high amounts of physical activity with mortality risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

To systematically review and analyse studies of high amounts of physical activity and mortality risk in the general population.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Inclusion criteria related to follow-up (minimum 2 years), outcome (mortality from all causes, cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD) or coronary heart disease), exposure (eg, a category of >1000 metabolic equivalent of task (MET) min/week), study design (prospective cohort, nested case control or case-cohort) and reports of cases and person years of exposure categories.

INFORMATION SOURCES

Systematic searches were conducted in Embase and Pubmed from database inception to 2 March 2019.

RISK OF BIAS

The quality of the studies was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa scale.

INCLUDED STUDIES

From 31 368 studies identified, 48 were included. Two authors independently extracted outcome estimates and assessed study quality.

SYNTHESIS OF RESULTS

We estimated hazard ratios (HRs) using random effect restricted cubic spline dose-response meta-analyses. Compared with the recommended level of physical activity (750 MET min/week), mortality risk was lower at physical activity levels exceeding the recommendations, at least until 5000 MET min/week for all cause mortality (HR=0.86, 95% CI 0.78 to 0.94) and for CVD mortality (HR=0.73, 95% CI 0.56 to 0.95).

STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS OF EVIDENCE

The strengths of this study include the detailed dose-response analyses, inclusion of 48 studies and examination of sources of heterogeneity. The limitations include the observational nature of the included studies and the inaccurate estimations of amount of physical activity.

INTERPRETATION

Compared with the recommended level, mortality risk was lower at physical activity levels well above the recommended target range. Further, there was no threshold beyond which lifespan was compromised.

REGISTRATION

PROSPERO CRD42017055727.

The burden of disease in older people and implications for health policy and practice

23% of the total global burden of disease is attributable to disorders in people aged 60 years and older. Although the proportion of the burden arising from older people (≥60 years) is highest in high-income regions, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) per head are 40% higher in low-income and middle-income regions, accounted for by the increased burden per head of population arising from cardiovascular diseases, and sensory, respiratory, and infectious disorders. The leading contributors to disease burden in older people are cardiovascular diseases (30·3% of the total burden in people aged 60 years and older), malignant neoplasms (15·1%), chronic respiratory diseases (9·5%), musculoskeletal diseases (7·5%), and neurological and mental disorders (6·6%). A substantial and increased proportion of morbidity and mortality due to chronic disease occurs in older people. Primary prevention in adults aged younger than 60 years will improve health in successive cohorts of older people, but much of the potential to reduce disease burden will come from more effective primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention targeting older people. Obstacles include misplaced global health priorities, ageism, the poor preparedness of health systems to deliver age-appropriate care for chronic diseases, and the complexity of integrating care for complex multimorbidities. Although population ageing is driving the worldwide epidemic of chronic diseases, substantial untapped potential exists to modify the relation between chronological age and health. This objective is especially important for the most age-dependent disorders (ie, dementia, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and vision impairment), for which the burden of disease arises more from disability than from mortality, and for which long-term care costs outweigh health expenditure. The societal cost of these disorders is enormous.

Influence of the Flo-Dynamics Movement System intervention on measures of performance in older persons

Background

Fall-related injuries associated with aging are a serious clinical and economic problem. The Flo-Dynamics Movement System© (FDMS), which consists of eight movements with a water-filled device, may be a useful low-impact exercise suited for older persons. This study investigated the effects of the FDMS regimen with the Wun-Jo™ trainer on measures of strength, flexibility, and balance in older individuals.

Methods

In a quasi-experimental study, 15 healthy subjects aged 61–79 years participated in an FDMS exercise program with the Wun-Jo trainer, consisting of three weekly 30-minute sessions. The following measures were assessed pretraining and after 8 weeks of training: knee flexor and extensor isokinetic strength; grip strength; the Short Physical Performance Battery; functional reach; and low back and hamstring flexibility. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance, with statistical significance set at the P ≤ 0.05 confidence level.

Results

Sit and reach test scores significantly increased (+21%) from baseline to week 8 (P < 0.001). Forward-left functional reach testing significantly increased (P = 0.012), while forward-right functional reach testing did not change (P = 0.474). Both left-lateral (P = 0.012) and right-lateral (P = 0.036) functional reach scores improved. Grip strength increased in both the left (+11.9%) and right (+14.5%) hands (P < 0.001 for each). Isokinetic knee extension at 60° per second increased for the left (+15.6%) and right (+17.6%) significantly (P = 0.001 for each). Isokinetic knee flexion at 60° per second significantly increased for both the left (+43.2%, P = 0.010) and right (+41.7%, P < 0.001). Time to complete the ten-repetition chair stand decreased significantly (−31%, P = 0.004). The 8-feet walk time also significantly decreased (−21.6%, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Participating in the FDMS with the Wun-Jo device may improve balance, low back and hamstring flexibility, walking speed, and knee extensor/flexor and grip strength in older individuals. FDMS training provides an alternative to traditional exercise and offers an effective strategy to increase functional ability in the elderly.

Physical activity as an indicator of predictive functional disability in elderly

To analyze the time spent on physical activity in female and male individuals as a predictor of the absence of functional disability in older adults, a cross-sectional study was conducted with 624 individuals. Receiver Operating Characteristic curves (ROC) were constructed and compared to areas of physical activity by gender and the absence of functional disability. We identified cutoffs of physical activity (minutes / week) to predict the absence of functional disability (CI 95%). It was found that there is a higher area under the ROC curve for the time spent on physical activities in females. It was observed that 280 minutes / week (women) or 410 minutes / week (men) were the best cutoff points for predicting the absence of functional disability. Time spent on physical activity practices can serve as an important indicator to sort priority groups for certain interventions.

Routine physical activity and mortality in Mexican Americans aged 75 and older

OBJECTIVES

To examine the association between routine physical activity and risk of 3-year mortality in Mexican Americans aged 75 and older.

DESIGN

Longitudinal study involving a population-based survey.

SETTING

Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (H-EPESE) survey conducted in the southwestern United States (TX, CO, AZ, NM, CA).

PARTICIPANTS

Mexican-American men and women aged 75 and older (N = 948) participating in the H-EPESE.

MEASUREMENTS

Responses to the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) were assessed in 2005-06. Mortality was determined according to report of relatives at 3-year follow-up and from the National Death Index. Covariates included sociodemographic characteristics, financial strain, smoking status, body mass index, activities of daily living, depressive symptoms, cognitive function, and comorbid conditions.

RESULTS

The mean age of the sample was 82.2 ± 4.5. Cox proportional hazard regression estimated that the hazard ratios of death for persons in the low, moderate, and high quartiles of physical activity (PASE scale) ranged from 0.36 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.21-0.62) to 0.50 (95% CI = 0.31-0.82) compared to persons in the sedentary quartile after adjusting for covariates.

CONCLUSION

Routine physical activity involving household and leisure activities was associated with lower 3-year risk of mortality in a sample of older Mexican Americans living in the community.

Influence of social support on cognitive change and mortality in old age: results from the prospective multicentre cohort study AgeCoDe

Background

Social support has been suggested to positively influence cognition and mortality in old age. However, this suggestion has been questioned due to inconsistent operationalisations of social support among studies and the small number of longitudinal studies available. This study aims to investigate the influence of perceived social support, understood as the emotional component of social support, on cognition and mortality in old age as part of a prospective longitudinal multicentre study in Germany.

Methods

A national subsample of 2,367 primary care patients was assessed twice over an observation period of 18 months regarding the influence of social support on cognitive function and mortality. Perceived social support was assessed using the 14-item version of the FSozU, which is a standardised and validated questionnaire of social support. Cognition was tested by the neuropsychological test battery of the Structured Interview for the Diagnosis of Dementia (SIDAM). The influence of perceived support on cognitive change was analysed by multivariate ANCOVA; mortality was analysed by multivariate logistic and cox regression.

Results

Sample cognitive change (N = 1,869): Mean age was 82.4 years (SD 3.3) at the beginning of the observation period, 65.9% were female, mean cognition was 49 (SD 4.4) in the SIDAM. Over the observation period cognitive function declined in 47.2% by a mean of 3.4 points. Sample mortality (N = 2,367): Mean age was 82.5 years (SD 3.4), 65.7% were female and 185 patients died during the observation period. Perceived social support showed no longitudinal association with cognitive change (F = 2.235; p = 0.135) and mortality (p = 0.332; CI 0.829-1.743).

Conclusions

Perceived social support did not influence cognition and mortality over an 18 months observation period. However, previous studies using different operationalisations of social support and longer observation periods indicate that such an influence may exist. This influence is rather small and the result of complex interaction mechanisms between different components of social support; the emotional component seems to have no or only a limited effect. Further research is needed to describe the complex interactions between components of social support. Longer observation periods are necessary and standardised operationalisations of social support should be applied.

Indoor physical activity reduces all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality among elderly women

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to investigate whether a medium to high degree of total physical activity and indoor physical activity were associated with reduced all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among elderly Korean women.

METHODS

A prospective cohort study was done to evaluate the association between physical activity and mortality. The cohort was made up of elderly (≥ 65 years of age) subjects. Baseline information was collected with a self-administered questionnaire and linked to death certificates retrieved from a database. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence interval (CI) levels.

RESULTS

Women who did not suffer from stroke, cancer, or ischemic heart disease were followed for a median of 8 years (n=5079). A total of 1798 all-cause deaths were recorded, of which 607 (33.8%) were due to cardiovascular disease. The group with the highest level of total physical activity and indoor physical activity was significantly associated to a reduced all-cause mortality (HR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.51 to 0.71 and HR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.50 to 0.67, respectively) compared to the group with the lowest level of total physical activity and indoor physical activity. Additionally, the group with the highest level of total physical activity and indoor physical activity was significantly associated to a lower cardiovascular disease mortality (HR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.40 to 0.71 and HR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.39 to 0.67, respectively) compared to the group with the lowest level of total physical activity and indoor physical activity.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study showed that regular indoor physical activity among elderly Korean women has healthy benefits.