scholarly journals Determinants of Processing Speed Trajectories among Middle Aged or Older Adults, and Their Association with Chronic Illnesses: The English Longitudinal Study of Aging

Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 357
Author(s):  
Viktor Gkotzamanis ◽  
Giorgos Koliopanos ◽  
Albert Sanchez-Niubo ◽  
Beatriz Olaya ◽  
Francisco Félix Caballero ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to identify latent groups of similar trajectories in processing speed through aging, as well as factors that are associated with these trajectories. In the context of the Ageing Trajectories of Health: Longitudinal Opportunities and Synergies (ATHLOS) project, data from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA) (n = 12099) were analyzed. Latent groups of similar trajectories in the processing scores as well as their predictors and covariates were investigated, using group-based trajectory models (GBTM). The coefficient estimates for potential group predictors correspond to parameters of multinomial logit functions that are integrated in the model. Potential predictors included sex, level of education, marital status, level of household wealth, level of physical activity, and history of smoking, while time-varying covariates included incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes mellitus, depressive symptoms, and sleep disturbances. Four trajectories were identified and named after their baseline scores and shapes: High (4.4%), Middle/Stable (31.5%), Low/Stable (44.5%), and Low Decline (19.6%). Female sex, higher levels of education, mild level of physical activity, having been married, and higher level of wealth were associated with a higher probability of belonging to any of the higher groups compared to the Low/Decline that was set as reference, while presence of CVD, diabetes mellitus, and depressive symptoms were associated with lower processing speed scores within most trajectories. All the aforementioned factors might be valid targets for interventions to reduce the burden of age-related cognitive impairment.

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (13) ◽  
pp. 2771-2779 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. White ◽  
P. Zaninotto ◽  
K. Walters ◽  
M. Kivimäki ◽  
P. Demakakos ◽  
...  

BackgroundMajor depressive disorder and subthreshold depression have been associated with premature mortality. We investigated the association between depressive symptoms and mortality across the full continuum of severity.MethodWe used Cox proportional hazards models to examine the association between depressive symptom severity, assessed using the eight-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D; range 0–8), and the risk of all-cause mortality over a 9-year follow-up, in 11 104 members of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.ResultsDuring follow-up, one fifth of study members died (N = 2267). Depressive symptoms were associated with increased mortality across the full range of severity (ptrend < 0.001). Relative to study members with no symptoms, an increased risk of mortality was found in people with depressive symptoms of a low [hazard ratio (HR) for a score of 2 was 1.59, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.40–1.82], moderate (score of 4: HR 1.80, 95% CI 1.52–2.13) and high (score of 8: HR 2.27, 95% CI 1.69–3.04) severity, suggesting risk emerges at low levels but plateaus thereafter. A third of participants (36.4%, 95% CI 35.5–37.3) reported depressive symptoms associated with an increased mortality risk. Adjustment for physical activity, physical illnesses, and impairments in physical and cognitive functioning attenuated this association (ptrend = 0.25).ConclusionsDepressive symptoms are associated with an increased mortality risk even at low levels of symptom severity. This association is explained by physical activity, physical illnesses, and impairments in physical and cognitive functioning.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S695-S696
Author(s):  
Tomoko Ikeuchi ◽  
Satoshi Seino ◽  
Yu Taniguchi ◽  
Miki Narita ◽  
Takumi Abe ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Subjective age (SA) has been found to be a biopsychosocial marker of aging, yet little is known about factors that influence SA development. This study examined factors influencing SA using longitudinal data of community-dwelling older Japanese. Methods: Data drawn from the Kusatsu Longitudinal Study were collected during annual health check-ups in 2017 and 2018 from participants (aged 65-95) who completed all the measurement items used for this analysis (N=981). SA was indexed by asking participants to specify in years how old they felt. Proportional discrepancy scores ((subjective age - chronological age)/chronological age ×100) were calculated to indicate younger or older SAs and used as a dependent variable. As influencing factors of SA, chronological age, sex, years of schooling, history of smoking, cognitive function (using MMSE scores, range 14-30 at baseline), depressive symptoms, physical function (gait speed), and social function (employment status) were examined. Analyses were performed with random-effects GLS regression models. Results: Significant partial regression coefficients were found for cognitive function (0.48%, CI: 0.18, 0.79), years of schooling (-0.42%, CI: -0.69, -0.15), depressive symptoms (0.32%, CI: 0.11, 0.53), and chronological age (-0.18%, CI: -0.30, -0.68). Implications: This study found that older age and longer years of schooling were associated with younger SA, while better cognition and depressive symptoms were linked to older SA. Better cognition being associated with older SA was inconsistent with existing studies. This may be due in part to the association of better cognition and the level of satisfaction influenced by awareness of age-related physical/social changes.


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