scholarly journals RE: "NEIGHBORHOOD ENVIRONMENT AND LOSS OF PHYSICAL FUNCTION IN OLDER ADULTS: EVIDENCE FROM THE ALAMEDA COUNTY STUDY"

2003 ◽  
Vol 157 (5) ◽  
pp. 472-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. L. Lash
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Physical Function ◽  
Neighborhood Environment ◽  
Alameda County ◽  
Alameda County Study

Personal Factors, Perceived Environment, and Objectively Measured Walking in Old Age

2010 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 280-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucelia Luna de Melo ◽  
Verena Menec ◽  
Michelle M. Porter ◽  
A. Elizabeth Ready
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Physical Function ◽  
Relative Rate ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Neighborhood Environment ◽  
Personal Factors ◽  
Walking Behavior ◽  
Perceived Environment ◽  
Walk Ability ◽  
Steps Per Day

This study examined the associations between walking behavior and the perceived environment and personal factors among older adults. Sixty participants age 65 yr or older (mean 77 ± 7.27, range 65–92) wore pedometers for 3 consecutive days. Perceived environment was assessed using the Neighborhood Environment Walk-ability Scale (abbreviated version). Physical function was measured using the timed chair-stands test. The mean number of steps per day was 5,289 steps (SD = 4,029). Regression analyses showed a significant association between personal factors, including physical function (relative rate = 1.05, p < .01) and income (RR = 1.43, p < .05) and the average daily number of steps taken. In terms of perceived environment, only access to services was significantly related to walking at the univariate level, an association that remained marginally significant when controlling for personal characteristics. These results suggest that among this sample of older adults, walking behavior was more related to personal and intrinsic physical capabilities than to the perceived environment.

scholarly journals NEIGHBORHOOD SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION: EVIDENCE OF RACIAL AND ETHNIC DIFFERENCES

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S279-S280
Author(s):  
Roberto J Millar
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Physical Function ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Ethnic Differences ◽  
Neighborhood Effects ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Neighborhood Environment ◽  
Physical Disorder ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Racial And Ethnic Differences

Abstract Empirical and theoretical scholarship suggest that as individuals age and their physical, cognitive, and social needs change, their neighborhood environment becomes increasingly important to their health and well-being. Despite recent advances in this area of research, a number of critical gaps remain. Namely, few studies examine the associations between neighborhood social environments and performance-based physical function. Furthermore, racial and ethnic differences are widely understudied. The objectives of this study are (1) to examine the association between neighborhood social cohesion and physical disorder on physical function in older adults, and (2) to identify potential racial/ethnic differences in these associations. Data come from round five (collected in 2015) of the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS; N=5,619). A series of adjusted linear regression models were used to predict performance-based physical function based on characteristics of the neighborhood social environment (i.e., cohesion, disorder). Results showed that only neighborhood physical disorder was statistically significantly associated with poorer physical function (p &lt; 0.05). Similarly, when stratified by race/ethnicity, only neighborhood physical disorder was associated with poorer physical function in Whites (p &lt; 0.05). There was no significant association for either neighborhood social environment characteristic and physical function for Black or Hispanic older adults. Racial and ethnic differences warrant closer investigation in studies of neighborhood effects on health. Community-level interventions, policy makers, and researchers should consider the interactions between minority membership and neighborhood social environments when addressing issues of health and physical function.

scholarly journals The Effect of Neighborhood Experiences on Positive Mental Health Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 436-436
Author(s):  
Daniel R Y Gan ◽  
Grand H-L Cheng ◽  
Tze Pin Ng ◽  
John Chye Fung ◽  
Im Sik Cho
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Path Analysis ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Psychosocial Health ◽  
Positive Mental Health ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Neighborhood Environment ◽  
Community Based Interventions ◽  
Psychosocial Wellbeing

Abstract Given reduced life spaces, the neighborhood often functions as a social venue for older adults. Yet how these everyday social spaces affect older adults’ psychosocial wellbeing remains largely unknown. Drawing on the GRP-CARE Survey data, this paper examined the relation between neighborhood experiences and positive mental health. Participants were 601 community-dwelling Singaporeans aged 50+ who lived in public housing neighborhoods. Neighborhood experiences were measured using the four-factorial, 16-item OpenX scale (Gan, Fung, Cho, 2019); positive mental health was measured using a six-factorial, 19-item scale (Vaingankar et al., 2011). Both scales have good psychometric properties and had been validated. Path analysis between relevant factors of both scales was conducted using Stata, within a theorized model of causation from neighborhood environment to social factors to psychosocial health. Age, education, ethnicity and sex were controlled for. Multiple linear regression analysis showed a strong, positive association between neighborhood experiences and mental health (p=0.000) even after controlling for personal traits (operationalized as depressive symptoms, GDS) in addition to sociodemographic variables. Path analysis showed that two distinct neighborhood health processes mediated this association. These were (1) the potential for a sense of community in the neighborhood improved emotional support, and (2) having better neighborly friendships improved interpersonal skills. These neighborhood health processes provide us with new lenses to understand older adults’ everyday experiences of their neighborhoods. Community-based interventions to improve older adults’ psychosocial wellbeing may be developed to facilitate these processes. Spatial and programmatic implications will be discussed in relation to age-friendly cities and communities (AFCC).

scholarly journals Long-term participation in community group exercise improves lower extremity muscle strength and delays age-related declines in walking speed and physical function in older adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chisato Hayashi ◽  
Soshiro Ogata ◽  
Tadashi Okano ◽  
Hiromitsu Toyoda ◽  
Sonoe Mashino
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Muscle Strength ◽  
Physical Exercise ◽  
Lower Extremity ◽  
Physical Function ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Group Exercise ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Lower Extremity Muscle

Abstract Background The effects of group exercise on the physical function of community-dwelling older adults remain unclear. The changes in lower extremity muscle strength, timed up and go (TUG) time, and the motor fitness scale (MFS), over time, among older adults who expressed a willingness to participate in community-based physical exercise groups, were determined using multilevel modelling. Methods We analyzed data of 2407 older adults between April 2010 and December 2019 from the registry of physical tests of community-based physical exercise groups. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to assess the effect of physical exercise on lower extremity muscle strength, TUG time, and MFS scores. The durations of the exercises were evaluated by frequency of physical test’s participate. Results A deterioration in lower extremity muscle strength was found in the short-term participant group only. However, in the mid-term and long-term participation groups, lower extremity muscle strength showed a trend of improvement. The TUG time and the MFS score were negatively correlated with increasing age in both groups divided by the duration of participation. However, there was a slower rate of deterioration in the long-term participation group. Discussion Lower extremity muscle strength, TUG time, and MFS scores decline with increasing age and there were differences in the slope of deterioration that depended on the duration of participation in community-based group exercise. Conclusion Participation in group exercise improved lower extremity muscle strength, TUG time, and MFS scores of older adults living in a community. The positive effects of group exercise were dependent on long-term participation.

Blood cadmium and physical function limitations in older adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 276 ◽  
pp. 116748
Author(s):  
Esther García-Esquinas ◽  
María Téllez-Plaza ◽  
Roberto Pastor-Barriuso ◽  
Rosario Ortolá ◽  
Pablo Olmedo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Physical Function ◽  
Blood Cadmium
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