Age Health Research Articles

Cardiometabolic risk factor clusters in older adults using latent class analysis on the Bushehr elderly health program

Metabolic syndrome (MetS), comprising obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, increases the risk of type II diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to identify the prevalence and determinants of specific clusters of the MetS components and tobacco consumption among older adults in Iran. The current study was conducted in the second stage of the Bushehr Elderly Health (BEH) program in southern Iran—a population-based cohort including 2424 subjects aged ≥ 60 years. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify MetS and tobacco consumption patterns. Multinomial logistic regression was conducted to investigate factors associated with each MetS class, including sociodemographic and behavioral variables. Out of 2424 individuals, the overall percentage of people with one or more components of MetS or current tobacco use was 57.8% and 20.8%, respectively. The mean (SD) age of all participants was 69.3(6.4) years. LCA ascertained the presence of four latent classes: class 1 (“low risk”; with a prevalence of 35.3%), class 2 (“MetS with medication-controlled diabetes”; 11.1%), class 3 (“high risk of MetS and associated medication use”; 27.1%), and class 4 (“central obesity and treated hypertension”; 26.4%). Compared to participants with a body mass index (BMI) < 30, participants with BMI ≥ 30 were more likely to belong to class 3 (OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.31–2.79) and class 4 (OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.06–2.08). Polypharmacy was associated with membership in class 2 (OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.12–3.81), class 3 (OR 9.77, 95% CI 6.12–15.59), and class 4 (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.07–2.91). The elevated triglyceride-glucose index was associated with membership in class 2 (OR 12.33, 95% CI 7.75–19.61) and class 3 (OR 12.04, 95% CI 8.31–17.45). Individuals with poor self-related health were more likely to belong to class 3 (OR 1.43; 95% CI 1.08–1.93). Four classes were identified among older adults in Iran with distinct patterns of cardiometabolic risk factors. Segmenting elderly individuals into these cardiometabolic categories has the potential to enhance the monitoring and management of cardiometabolic risk factors. This strategy may help reduce the severe outcomes of metabolic syndrome in this susceptible population.

Association between body mass index and mental health status among community-dwelling older adults

Abstract Background Maintaining a better physical and mental health status is an important issue for older adults in their later life. Although obesity has been suggested to reduce the risk of mood disorders in older adults, the findings are controversial. Thus, we aimed to investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and mental health status among older adults in Taipei City and to elucidate risk factors contributing to mood disorders. Methods The elderly health examination database was obtained from the Department of Health, Taipei City government, from 2005 to 2016. A total of 80,121 older adults underwent at least two publicly funded health examinations, with 398,416 visits. We used the Brief Symptom Rating Scale (BSRS-5) questionnaire to estimated relative risks among potential risk factors with the generalized estimating equations (GEE) model to measure the mental health status of older adults. Mood disorders were defined as a score of ≥ 6 on BSRS-5. BMI, age, education level, gender, living alone, income status, number of chronic diseases, smoking, drinking, and exercise were included as covariates. Results Older adults who are overweight or obese have a lower risk for mood disorders (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.82; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.79 - 0.85), while those underweight have a higher risk (OR = 1.31; 95% CI = 1.21 - 1.41). Other results show that being male (OR = 0.66; 95% CI = 0.63 - 0.69), higher education (OR = 0.72; 95% CI = 0.69 - 0.75), and have exercise habits (OR = 0.73; 95% CI = 0.70 - 0.76) were all positively correlated with better emotional status. However, low income (OR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.14 - 1.35) and having more chronic diseases (OR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.87 - 2.11) were all correlated with poor mental status among older adults. Conclusions Keeping an appropriate weight or even being overweight might be beneficial for older adults. In addition, encouraging older adults to maintain exercise habits can also help improve mood disorders. Key messages • Keeping an appropriate weight or even being overweight might be beneficial for older adults. • Encouraging the elderly to maintain exercise habits can also help improve mood disorders.

Prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications according to STOPP-Frail criteria in nursing home residents, the SHELTER study

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) in nursing home residents across eight countries and investigate differences between residents with and without cognitive impairment, as well as those with and without life expectancy of six months or less.Methods and deignThe study utilized the second edition of the STOPP-Frail criteria to operationalize PIMs in the baseline assessment of nursing home residents participating in the Services and Health for Elderly in Long TERm care (SHELTER) project. The data were collected between 2009 and 2012. The project was conducted in eight countries: Czech Republic, England, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Israel. Cognitive impairment was measured by the cognitive performance scale (CPS). The presence of end-stage disease with a life expectancy of six months or less was recorded. The study included residents aged 60 years or older who underwent a valid medication assessment.ResultsAmong the 3,832 eligible residents, 87.9% had at least one PIM. Specifically, 24.3%, 23.5%, 18.8%, and 19.3% of residents had one, two, three, and four or more PIMs, respectively. On average, each person was prescribed 2.16 PIMs. Cognitively impaired residents (n = 1999) had an average of 1.96 PIMs (SD 1.49) per person, while residents with a low CPS score (n = 1783) had an average of 2.40 PIMs (SD 1.57) per person, showing a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001). Similarly, NH residents with life expectancy of six months or less had an average of 1.66 PIMs (SD 1.30), whereas those without had an average of 2.17 PIMs (SD 1.55) (p < 0.001). The average number of PIMs varied across countries, ranging from 3.23 in Finland to 2.15 in the UK (P < 0.001). Anti-platelets and aspirin were the most prescribed PIMs, accounting for over 38.0% of prescriptions.ConclusionsThis study highlights the high prevalence of PIMs among nursing home residents. However, PIMs were somewhat lower in residents with cognitive impairment and life expectancy of six months or less. Efforts must continue to improve the rationale behind prescribing practices in nursing homes.

The interactive effect of extreme weather events and PM2.5 on respiratory health among the elderly: a case-crossover study in a high-altitude city.

With climate change posing increasing threats and aging populations, understanding the complex relationship between extreme temperatures, PM2.5 pollution, and respiratory health among the elderly is crucial. While some research exists, there remains a significant gap in studying the combined effects of heat waves, cold spells, and PM2.5 on elderly respiratory health in high-altitude regions. We collected data from Xining (2016-2021), including respiratory disease outpatient visits, meteorological, and pollutant data. Employing a case-crossover design and conditional Poisson regression analysis, we investigated the individual and interactive impacts of heat wave, cold spell, and PM2.5 on outpatient visits for respiratory disease among the elderly. We used the relative excess odds due to interaction (REOI), proportion attributable to interaction (AP), and synergy index (S) as quantitative indicators of interaction. Our analysis revealed significant associations between heat wave, cold spell, PM2.5 exposure, and outpatient visits for respiratory disease among the elderly, with odds ratios of 1.10 (95%CI: 1.06, 1.15) and 1.16 (95%CI: 1.13, 1.20), respectively. Moreover, a synergistic effect between cold spell and PM2.5 was observed, particularly affecting vulnerable groups such as female and those aged ≥ 80. The combined exposure to cold spell and elevated PM2.5 levels was estimated to contribute to up to 0.18 (95%CI: 0.17, 0.27) of respiratory outpatient visits. This study underscores the need for urgent interventions, such as reducing PM2.5 exposure and enhancing extreme weather warning systems, to protect the respiratory health of the elderly, especially in high-altitude regions.

Elderly care and health monitoring using smart healthcare technology: An improved routing scheme for wireless body area networks

AbstractHypertensive patients need regular checkups and constant monitoring for taking time critical decisions by the medical experts. Unfortunately, it is hard to maintain uninterrupted patient health surveillance due to limited medical staff resulting in an increasing mortality rate annually. Thanks to recent developments in wireless sensor networking, we can monitor constantly and efficiently diverse parameters of a network. Similarly, Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) have become a well‐known sub‐branch of Wireless Sensor Networks. Such sensor networks can be leveraged for patient health monitoring, minimising the medical staff workload. Wireless Body Area Networks require tiny sensor nodes with limited battery power. Therefore, it is always desirable to design effective routing schemes that can enhance network lifetime, and reduce packet drop ratio. In this paper, we re‐simulate and explain in detail the results of a selected published journal article for WBANs and provide some modifications to improve the network's overall performance. Based on these amendments, the modified protocol successfully extends the operational time of the network than the original. Our performance evaluation parameters are dead nodes, throughput, residual energy, and path loss versus the number of rounds. These analyses support effective solutions that improve network performance and data delivery ratio.

Sclerostin as a Genetic Determinant of Trabecular Bone Score in Postmenopausal Women: The Bushehr Elderly Health (BEH) Program

Background: Sclerostin, a protein encoded by the SOST gene, is an important genetic risk factor for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. This study was conducted on the Iranian postmenopausal women, to investigate the association between this gene and the Trabecular Bone Score (TBS) as a novel index used for assessing osteoporosis. Methods: The present study, conducted in 2024, was performed on 1071 women aged 60 years and older who participated in the Bushehr Elderly Health (BEH) program. The associations between seven independent Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) within the SOST gene and mean TBS of L1 to L4 were examined using the additive, dominant, and recessive models. Genetic risk scores (GRS) were calculated for each postmenopausal woman based on the coefficient regressions derived from the additive and dominant models. The relationship between the GRS quartiles and TBS was evaluated using a linear regression model. Results: After adjusting for age and Body Mass Index (BMI), the associations between the rs2023794-C and TBS were significant in the additive (β = 0.03, P= 4.7×10-5, PFDR= 0.0003) and dominant (β = 0.032, P= 5×10-5, PFDR= 0.0003) models. The GRS derived from both additive and dominant models were related to TBS (P&lt;0.05). For the additive model GRS, TBS showed an average increase of 0.022 score for the fourth quartile in comparison with the first quartile, adjusted for age, BMI, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and smoking status (P=0.001). Conclusion: SOST gene is associated with TBS and may have implications for personalized medicine. Targeting sclerostin through SOST could offer a therapeutic approach in managing osteoporosis in high-risk postmenopausal women.

Age-Friendly Environment Design of High-Speed Railway Stations from a Healthy Ageing Perspective: A Case Implementation in Nanjing, China

China stands out as one of the countries with the largest and fastest-growing elderly populations. Elderly requirements for the quality of high-speed railway stations environment are increasing. The relationship between the built environment of high-speed railway stations and elderly health has become an urgent problem to be solved. The challenge necessitates a systematic approach to age-friendly design. Based on the practical experience of the authors in an age-friendly design of an indoor environment at Nanjing South Railway Station, questionnaire surveys and user interviews were employed to profile four types of typical elderly passengers. Data collection methods were used to create behavior maps. (1) This study identifies the age-friendly needs of elderly passengers, pinpointing the key environment issues. (2) It proposes age-friendly design strategies for various functional areas of Nanjing South Railway Station. (3) It introduces an age-friendly module combination design system, which including basic type I, enhanced type II, and optimized type III, in order to meet the demands for six levels of high-speed railway stations in China. This study promotes the age-friendly transformation of environments at a high-speed railway station, offering theoretical foundations and methodological references for constructing an age-friendly environment from a healthy ageing perspective.

Chronic condition change and its longitudinal association with health care utilization among rural older adults: intergenerational financial support as a possible moderator?

BackgroundThe prevalence of chronic conditions increases rapidly among older population. However, it is unclear how different chronic conditions progression contributes to the health care utilization, and whether intergenerational support modified this relationship. This study aimed to explore the longitudinal link between chronic condition progression and health care utilization, and examine whether intergenerational financial support is a moderator in this relationship among Chinese rural older people.MethodsData was derived from the Shandong Rural Elderly Health Cohort (SREHC), which was conducted from 2019 to 2020. A total of 2,785 participants were included in this study. Kruskal-Wallis rank tests and generalized estimating equation (GEE) models were employed to analyze the association between chronic condition progression and health care utilization. Moderating effect analysis was performed using GEE model and margins plot.ResultsOlder people with progressive chronic conditions used more outpatient (no chronic condition to emerging multimorbidity: OR = 1.83; p = 0.028; one chronic condition to emerging multimorbidity: OR = 2.17; p < 0.001; remained multimorbidity while chronic conditions increased: OR = 3.26; p < 0.001) and inpatient services (no chronic condition to emerging multimorbidity: OR = 2.76; p < 0.001; one chronic condition to emerging multimorbidity: OR = 3.40; p < 0.001; remained multimorbidity while chronic conditions increased: OR = 5.32; p < 0.001) than those remained no chronic conditions. Intergenerational financial support may alleviate outpatient utilization of older people with multimorbidity (remained multimorbidity × intergenerational financial support: OR = 0.40; p = 0.013; remained multimorbidity while chronic conditions increased × intergenerational financial support: OR = 0.35; p = 0.019).ConclusionThis study showed that the changes of chronic condition were associated with health care utilization, and intergenerational financial support moderated this relationship. It is vital to continuously monitor and timely intervene the chronic condition progression among rural older people.

Unveiling the Nexus: Elevating marketing strategies for enhancing satisfaction and loyalty in elderly health care services

The study aimed to examine whether there is an association of marketing mix, and perception with customer’s satisfaction, and loyalty among elderly people. A total of 400 participants were included in the study. The study population comprised individuals aged 65 years and above from Assam, India including both males and females. Participants were primarily selected from residential homes, old age homes, and various common gathering places such as parks, shops, Namghar (a holy place), and community halls. The study indicated a significant correlation between the dimensions of the marketing mix, perception, satisfaction, and loyalty. Moreover, the findings from the linear regression analysis, revealed customer satisfaction towards the marketing of healthcare services can be attributed to product, price, place, process, and physical evidence (7 P’s) and customer perception (R2=.54; .53 respectively). Additionally, customer loyalty towards the marketing of healthcare services is influenced by product and price (7P’s), and customer perception (R2=.54; .2 respectively). This study contributes to understanding the overlooked aspect of marketing to the elderly population, providing valuable insights for healthcare companies to develop improved marketing strategies. Hence, irrespective of the organization's size, type, or location, whether it's a startup or an established entity, privately owned or government-operated, local or global, the role of business managers is vital in making informed decisions and establishing strategic priorities to allocate resources efficiently in order to meet evolving customer demands and achieve business success. As a result, commercial enterprises need to develop tools, concepts, and strategies to effectively navigate the dynamic and unpredictable marketing landscape.

Occurrence of Malnutrition among Seniors in Poland Depending on the Place of Residence: An Analysis of Socioeconomic and Health Risk Factors.

The aging population in Poland poses significant socioeconomic and health challenges, particularly regarding malnutrition among seniors. This study examines the impact of place of residence on the nutritional status and related health outcomes of older adults. Data were collected from 338 community-dwelling seniors and those in long-term care facilities. The results indicate that long-term care residents exhibited significantly higher frailty and depression levels and poorer nutritional status, functional fitness, gait, and balance compared to those in communities. Self-reported quality of life did not differ significantly between groups. Regardless of residence, having a family correlated with better nutritional status, quality of life, and functional fitness and lower frailty and depression levels. Malnutrition was significantly associated with reduced functional fitness across all residences, and well-nourished individuals in care facilities had lower functional fitness than those who were at home. Community-dwelling residents had significantly lower frailty levels, with frailty negatively correlating with nutritional status. Normal nutritional status was linked to higher balance and gait scores, indicating a lower fall risk, with the risk further reduced for those living in community settings. Additionally, normal nutritional status correlated with lower depression levels and higher quality of life, with malnourished individuals experiencing better quality of life in community-dwelling settings. These findings underscore the critical role of residence and family support in elderly nutrition and health outcomes.

Pelayanan Fisioterapi Melalui Pemeriksaan Mini-Mental State Examination Untuk Menilai Fungsi Kognitif Lansia di RW 8 Kelurahan Tanjung Rejo Kota Malang

Impaired cognitive function is still a serious health problem that can cause psychological and socio-economic impacts in the form of social isolation and financial difficulties, delayed mobility, and worsening of other symptoms as well as reducing quality of life. As a basis for elderly health services, it is hoped that healthy elderly people will remain healthy. by optimizing physical, mental, cognitive and spiritual functions, through promotive and preventive efforts, including elderly empowerment activities. This counseling aims to assess cognitive function using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) in the elderly at Posyandu for the elderly RW 8 Tanjung Rejo, Malang City. The method given is an examination using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) questionnaire. The counseling process went smoothly. The results of the examination showed that the majority of elderly people had normal cognitive conditions. A good lifestyle can reduce the risk of dementia.

Posyandu Cadres' Contributions to Elderly Health Improvement

Background: This study investigates the role of community health workers in promoting elderly health through integrated health posts. Specific Background: A qualitative descriptive approach is used to examine the significance of these workers in ensuring regular attendance of the elderly at health services. Knowledge Gap: While previous studies have focused on health post activities, they often overlook the specific strategies employed by community health workers. Aims: The study aims to clarify the contributions of community health workers in facilitating elderly health programs. Results: Findings indicate that these workers adapt activities, such as health consultations and educational sessions, to enhance elderly participation and health outcomes. Novelty: The research provides new insights into innovative service delivery by community health workers amid logistical challenges. Implications: The results highlight the need for ongoing support and training for community health workers, advocating for structured programs to enhance elderly engagement and well-being, with potential applications in similar contexts to improve elderly healthcare. Highlights : Community health workers play a crucial role in facilitating elderly health services. Adaptation of activities enhances elderly engagement and health outcomes. Continuous support and training for health workers are essential for effective program implementation. Keywords: community health workers, elderly health, qualitative study, health post, participation

A Study of Intergenerational Support and the Health Relationship of the Elderly Population: Evidence from CHARLS

BackgroundCurrently, the relationship of intergenerational support on health is mainly focused on physical health and mental health, and there are fewer studies on the relationship of intergenerational support on self-assessed health. Therefore, this paper discusses and analyzes the possible relationship of intergenerational support on the self-assessed health of older adults in terms of the bidirectional support of various forms of support between older parents and their adult children in terms of financial, living, and emotional support(CHARLS). MethodsThis study was conducted on participants aged 65 and over, using the CHARLS 2020 survey, involving 6359 (3069 men and 3290 women) elderly people.Health was measured in three dimensions: physical, psychological, and self-assessment; intergenerational support was measured in three dimensions: financial, life care, and spiritual comfort; and regression models analyzed the relationship between intergenerational support and the health of the elderly population. ResultsChildren's life care support ( p<0.05) had a significant positive association on physiological health, but a significant negative association on the elderly's psychological and self-assessed health, children's spiritual comfort support (p<0.05) had a positive association on the elderly's physiological health, psychological health, and self-assessed health, and children's financial support (p<0.05) was positively correlated with the elderly's psychological, and children's financial support had a positive association, but not related to physical health and self-rated health of the elderly. ConclusionsThe relationship between intergenerational support and the health of the older population is complex, with life-care support significantly contributing to physical health but negatively affecting mental health and self-assessed health; spiritual comfort support positively affecting physical, mental and self-assessed health; and financial support having a primarily positive effect on mental health. Therefore, children should fully respect and utilise the ‘autonomy’ of the elderly when providing intergenerational support to the elderly in their families. It is also important to improve intergenerational communication abilities and skills, which will help to better understand and fulfil the needs of older people, thereby promoting their physical and mental health.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Suicidal Ideation and Depression in Community-Dwelling Elderly.

This study examined the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on depression and suicidal ideation in community-dwelling elderly in Korea. Data were employed from a survey on elderly mental health in Jeollanam-do (southwest province in Korea), conducted by the Jeollanam-do Provincial Mental Health and Welfare Center. A total of 2423 people were recruited from all 22 cities in Jeollanam-do from April to October, 2021. We used self-reported questionnaires including sociodemographic factors, COVID-19-related stress, the Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form Korean Version, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Satisfaction With Life Scale and the Brief Resilience Scale. Logistic regression was performed to examine the factors of depression and suicidal ideation. Of the 2423 subjects, 622 (25.7%) reported depressive symptoms and 518 (21.4%) reported suicidal ideation. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that living alone, poor perceived health status, worry of COVID-19 infection, and restriction of daily activities due to COVID-19 pandemic are significantly associated with depression. Female gender, poor perceived health status, inability to perform household chores, and depressive symptom are risk factors of suicidal ideation. These findings show that old age, negative perception of health, and restriction of daily activities due to COVID-19 are risk factors of depression in community-dwelling elderly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Female gender, poor self-perceived health status, and depression increase the risk of suicidal ideation among the elderly. Social support and life satisfaction are protecting factors of both depression and suicidal ideation. Resilience decreased risk of depression but not in suicidal ideation.

Easing Caregiver Strain: The Power of Health Check-ups

Against the backdrop of global aging and escalating pressures on family caregiving, this study delves into the impact of health check-ups for the elderly on alleviating the objective burden of family caregiving by analyzing China's Free Health Check-up Program (FHCP). Using an unbalanced panel dataset spanning 2011, 2013, 2015, 2018, and 2020, comprising approximately 35,000 observations of the elderly population aged 65 and above, the research employs the Difference-in-Differences method. The research reveals a significant 9.18% reduction in family caregiving time following the implementation of FHCP, primarily attributed to the enhancement of the elderly's self-care abilities and health awareness. This study elucidates, for the first time, the efficacy and mechanisms of health check-ups in alleviating caregiving objective burdens, providing evidence for the formulation of pertinent policies. It underscores the significance of routine health check-ups as a public health intervention in supporting family caregivers and addressing the challenges of aging.

Survey on the Current Status of Elderly Health Services in 1,305 Medical Institutions in Guangxi

Survey on the Current Status of Elderly Health Services in 1,305 Medical Institutions in Guangxi

The effect of a structured education program applied to nursing students on their attitudes towards ageism

ABSTRACT During the youth period, in which discriminative behaviors against the elderly are most frequently exhibited, it is important to increase the awareness of university students on this issue. In this study, which was planned with this understanding, the aim was to examine the effect of a structured education program on students’ attitudes toward ageism. The study was conducted as quasi-experimental research with a pretest-posttest design. The sample consisted of fourth-year university nursing students (n = 102) receiving education in the nursing department of a university in western Turkey. The study was conducted between 09/29/2023 and 12/23/2023, and a structured education program on old age and ageism consisting of 12 sessions was applied to the entire population. Data were collected using a personal information form and the ageism attitude scale. Number, percentage, mean and standard deviation, and dependent samples t-test were used in data evaluation. Of the students who participated in the study, 75.5% were female and the mean age was 21.90 ± 1.28. The mean total score of the students who received education about old age was 78.421 ± 9.194 before the application and 80.588 ± 7.175 after the application. It was determined that the mean total score increased after the application and that there was a statistically significant difference (t = -2.100; p = .04). It was observed that the structured education program consisting of 12 sessions was effective in increasing the positive attitudes toward ageism. Based on these findings, it is recommended that courses on elderly health be included in the curriculum of nursing students and that long-term education programs that increase awareness of ageism be planned and maintained.

Control model of community elderly recreational exercise assistive robot based on improved dense trajectory algorithm

As the number of elderly population in the community grows, more efficient and precise recreation and exercise aids are needed to safeguard their quality of life. The study proposes a control model based on an improved dense trajectory algorithm to enhance the recognition and response capabilities of recreation and exercise assistance robots. The main method of the model is to improve the dense trajectory algorithm to enhance its recognition speed and accuracy for complex and small movements. Specifically, the study deeply refined the control process of a health and exercise assisted robot, and combined action capture to construct a health and exercise assisted robot model. The control model of the health and exercise assisted robot was optimized using an improved dense algorithm. The improved dense trajectory algorithm has feature embedding and attention mechanism, which can supplement the input data of the model, thus enabling more accurate action recognition. The results show that among the five samples, the recreation effectiveness score of the experimental group averaged 8.9, which was significantly higher than that of the control group, which was 7.3. The recognition accuracy has been improved by 2.7 % and 3.9 %, respectively, effectively suppressing the influence of camera motion. After using the improved dense trajectory algorithm, the fitness of the health training assistant robot reached 96.25 % under the same processing time, which is 8.93 % higher than the traditional model's fitness of 87.32 %. In summary, the control model of a community elderly health exercise assistance robot based on improved dense trajectory algorithm has achieved more accurate and faster recognition and response to the actions of the elderly, providing a more efficient technical means for health exercise and improving the health effect of the elderly.

A case for the use of deep learning algorithms for individual and population level assessments of mental health disorders: Predicting depression among China's elderly

BackgroundWith the continuous advancement of age in China, attention should be paid to the mental well-being of the elderly population. The present study uses a novel machine learning (ML) method on a large representative elderly database in China as a sample to predict the risk factors of depression in the elderly population from both holistic and individual level. MethodsA total of participants met the inclusion criteria from the fourth waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) were analyzed with ML algorithms. The level of depression was assessed by the 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10). ResultsThe current study found top 5 factors that were important for predicting depression in the elderly population in China, including average sleep time, gender, age, social activities and nap time during the day. The results also provide reliable diagnostic likelihood at the individual level to support clinicians identify the most impactful factors contributing to patient depression. Our findings also suggested that activities such as interacting with friends and play ma-Jong, chess or join community clubs may have a positive collaborative effect for elderly's mental health. ConclusionsHolistic approaches are an effective method of deriving and interpreting sophisticated models of mental health in elderly populations. More detailed information about a patient's demographics, medical history, sleeping patterns and social/leisure activities can help to inform policy and treatment interventions on a population and individual level. Large scale surveys such as CHARLS are effective methods for testing the most accurate models, however, further research using professional clinical input could further advance the field.

Preparation, identification and screening of anti-osteoporosis milk-derived peptides: Intervention effects in osteoporosis rats

To identify milk-derived peptides with both antioxidant and calcium absorption activities in combating osteoporosis, we employed a comprehensive screening approach that included virtual enzymatic hydrolysis, molecular docking, and cellular experiments using osteoblasts. Under the optimal conditions for dual-enzyme hydrolysis, the 1,1-diphenyl-2-trinitrophenylhydrazine (DPPH) radical scavenging rate and soluble calcium binding capacity of the milk-derived peptides were 19.69% and 0.6965 μg/mL, respectively. Six peptide segments, namely KEDVPSER, HKEMPFPK, YPSYG, EDVPSE, VPQLE, and IPAVF, were identified through UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS and molecular docking for further validation. Among the peptides, YPSYG significantly promoted the proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells both with and without CaCl2 (P < 0.05), increasing proliferation by 38.27% and 20.67%, respectively, compared to the control group. Additionally, YPSYG significantly improved proliferation after H2O2-induced oxidative damage (P < 0.05), with a 38.23% higher rate than the model group. Compared with rats in the osteoporosis model group, YPSYG significantly enhanced serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and N-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen in rats (s-PINP) levels and decreased tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) levels (P < 0.05). Furthermore, milk-derived peptides and YPSYG significantly increased the bone weight index, maximum load, and bending energy of the femur and tibia in osteoporotic rats (P < 0.05). Additionally, these peptides significantly reduced the number of osteoclasts in the metaphysis of the femur and tibia in osteoporotic rats and alleviated microstructural damage. This study confirmed that milk-derived peptides, including YPSYG, effectively promoted bone formation and improved bone microstructure in osteoporotic rats. These findings provided a foundation for developing functional foods for elderly bone health.