Oldest-old People Research Articles

Social isolation and likelihood of becoming centenarians: evidence from the Chinese longitudinal healthy longevity survey

BackgroundSocial isolation, defined as an individual’s lack of social connections, is particularly prevalent among older adults. However, its association with health outcomes among the oldest-old population (aged 80 and above) was understudied.AimsTo examine the association between social isolation and the likelihood of becoming a centenarian among the oldest-old people in China, aiming to provide novel insights into promoting healthy aging and longevity.MethodsUsing data from The Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, conducted in 22 provinces in mainland China since 1998, we performed a community-based, prospective nested case-control study. The primary outcome was survival to the age of 100 by 2018 (the end of follow-up). Information on social isolation and other covariates was collected via a questionnaire at baseline. The degree of social isolation was categorized as low, moderate, and high. Included (n = 5,716) were 1,584 identified centenarians and 4,132 controls (deceased before reaching 100 years), matched by age, sex, and year of entry. A conditional logistic regression model was used to evaluate the association between social isolation and the likelihood of becoming a centenarian, adjusting for demographic factors, lifestyle factors, chronic disease, potential disability, optimistic attitude, and perceived loneliness.ResultsIndividuals with the highest social isolation score had lower odds of becoming centenarians (adjusted OR:0.82; 95% CI: 0.68, 0.98), relative to those with the least social isolation (P-value < 0.05), and this association persisted in sensitivity analyses. The association was more pronounced among ever smokers, compared to never smokers (P-value = 0.001). We did not observe significant interactions between social isolation and other covariates (P-value > 0.05 for all).ConclusionsThis study highlights the inverse association between social isolation and the likelihood of becoming a centenarian, emphasizing the need for public health initiatives to combat isolation in the older population.

The frequency of potentially inappropriate medication usage in community-dwelling oldest-old people.

It is critically important to protect the health of the oldest-old people, as their hospitalization and death rates are high. The objective of this study was to analyze the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication use among the community-dwelling oldest-old people and its association with their demographic characteristics. Data were collected from real-world settings using the observational method for this descriptive study. An older adult aged ≥ 85 years old was defined as the oldest-old. The participants were visited in their homes. The generic names of the medications used, and the age, sex, and province of residence were recorded. The medications were analyzed according to the 2019 Beers criteria, and their prevalence of use among the oldest-old people was determined. Data were collected from 549 of the oldest-old people. The median age of the participants was 88.0 years (88.8 ± 3.5; min = 85.0, max = 102), and 61.3% (n = 336) of them were female. The study findings showed that 65.0% of the community-dwelling oldest-old people used potentially inappropriate medications, with a median number of 1 (min = 0, max = 6). The prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication use increased linearly with the number of drugs used (p = 0.001). The median number of medications was significantly higher in the potentially inappropriate medication user group (5 vs. 2, p = 0.001). Diuretics, proton pump inhibitors, and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs were the most frequently used potentially inappropriate medications. The prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication use was high among the oldest-old people in Turkiye. There were no differences in frequency of use according to age, sex, or geographical region. It is important to prevent the use of potentially inappropriate medications that should be avoided and to monitor the oldest-old group that uses potentially inappropriate medications that should be used with caution.

"Like another human being in the room": a community case study of smart speakers to reduce loneliness in the oldest-old.

This community case study examined the potential benefits of smart speakers to tackle loneliness in the oldest old adults living in supported accommodation. The program was established as a collaboration between the supported accommodation provider and a technology company to explore the feasibility of smart speakers to alleviate resident loneliness. Loneliness in later life often accompanies a shrinking social circle, loss of a spouse or increased disability. People aged 85 years of age and over are increasingly likely to experience these life events, leading to an increased risk of social isolation and loneliness. Five older people, mean age 90 years of age, who resided in supported accommodation, were given a smart speaker for 8 weeks to examine their experience with the voice assistant. The experiences of the five older adults are explored as case studies, with each person interviewed both before and after receiving the smart speaker. All five valued their smart speaker, recognised its potential for tackling loneliness, and wanted to keep it. The three most lonely individuals reported that their smart speaker made them feel less lonely and isolated through two mechanisms: (i) creating a presence and (ii) having some control over their situation. Although only a small study, these experiences suggest providing smart speakers for lonely and isolated oldest-old people, could be one way to help combat loneliness in community settings.

Body mass index, waist circumference, and mortality in subjects older than 80 years: a Mendelian randomization study

Abstract Background and Aims Emerging evidence has raised an obesity paradox in observational studies of body mass index (BMI) and health among the oldest-old (aged ≥80 years), as an inverse relationship of BMI with mortality was reported. This study was to investigate the causal associations of BMI, waist circumference (WC), or both with mortality in the oldest-old people in China. Methods A total of 5306 community-based oldest-old (mean age 90.6 years) were enrolled in the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) between 1998 and 2018. Genetic risk scores were constructed from 58 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with BMI and 49 SNPs associated with WC to subsequently derive causal estimates for Mendelian randomization (MR) models. One-sample linear MR along with non-linear MR analyses were performed to explore the associations of genetically predicted BMI, WC, and their joint effect with all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, and non-CVD mortality. Results During 24 337 person-years of follow-up, 3766 deaths were documented. In observational analyses, higher BMI and WC were both associated with decreased mortality risk [hazard ratio (HR) 0.963, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.955–0.971 for a 1-kg/m2 increment of BMI and HR 0.971 (95% CI 0.950–0.993) for each 5 cm increase of WC]. Linear MR models indicated that each 1 kg/m2 increase in genetically predicted BMI was monotonically associated with a 4.5% decrease in all-cause mortality risk [HR 0.955 (95% CI 0.928–0.983)]. Non-linear curves showed the lowest mortality risk at the BMI of around 28.0 kg/m2, suggesting that optimal BMI for the oldest-old may be around overweight or mild obesity. Positive monotonic causal associations were observed between WC and all-cause mortality [HR 1.108 (95% CI 1.036–1.185) per 5 cm increase], CVD mortality [HR 1.193 (95% CI 1.064–1.337)], and non-CVD mortality [HR 1.110 (95% CI 1.016–1.212)]. The joint effect analyses indicated that the lowest risk was observed among those with higher BMI and lower WC. Conclusions Among the oldest-old, opposite causal associations of BMI and WC with mortality were observed, and a body figure with higher BMI and lower WC could substantially decrease the mortality risk. Guidelines for the weight management should be cautiously designed and implemented among the oldest-old people, considering distinct roles of BMI and WC.

Ambient PM2.5 and cardiopulmonary mortality in the oldest-old people in China: A national time-stratified case-crossover study

Evidence on the associations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) with cardiopulmonary mortality in the oldest-old (aged 80+ years) people remains limited. We conducted a time-stratified case-crossover study of 1,475,459 deaths from cardiopulmonary diseases in China to estimate the associations between short-term exposure to ambient PM2.5 and cardiopulmonary mortality among the oldest-old people. Each 10μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 concentration (6-day moving average [lag05]) was associated with higher mortality from cardiopulmonary diseases (excess risks [ERs]= 1.69%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.54%, 1.84%), cardiovascular diseases (ER= 1.72%, 95% CI: 1.54%, 1.90%), and respiratory diseases (ER= 1.62%, 95% CI: 1.33%, 1.91%). Compared to the other groups, females (ER= 1.94%, 95% CI: 1.73%, 2.15%) (p for difference test= 0.043) and those aged 95-99 years (ER= 2.31%, 95% CI: 1.61%, 3.02%) (aged 80-85 years old was the reference, p for difference test= 0.770) presented greater mortality risks. We found 14 specific cardiopulmonary causes associated with PM2.5, out of which emphysema (ER= 3.20%, 95% CI: 1.57%, 4.86%) had the largest association. Out of the total deaths, 6.27% (attributable fraction [AF], 95% CI: 5.72%, 6.82%) were ascribed to short-term PM2.5 exposure. This study provides evidence of PM2.5-induced cardiopulmonary mortality and calls for targeted prevention actions for the oldest-old people. This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Foreign Expert Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong, China, and the Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou.

Association of neighborhood recreational facilities and depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults

ObjectivesNeighborhood recreation facilities has been associated with depression that commonly tested with cross-sectional data. This study used longitudinal data to test the effect of neighborhood recreation facilities on the trajectory of depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults.MethodsData was derived from the 2014, 2016 and 2018 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS). Depressive symptoms among older adults were obtained using the CES-D scale. The three-level linear growth model of “time point - individual - community” was conducted to test the association between neighborhood recreation facilities and depressive symptoms.ResultsThis study consisted of 3,804 respondents living in 333 communities. It was found that community fitness facilities had a significant effect on depressive symptoms in older adults (beta=-1.212, P<0.001). A supportive community fitness environment can effectively slow down the rate of increase in depressive symptoms among older adults (beta=-0.415, P<0.01). In subgroup analysis, fitness facilities were the important predictor for people in youngest-old group (beta=-1.247, P<0.01) and outdoor activity space was a protective predictor for oldest-old people’s depressive symptoms (beta=-0.258, P<0.05).ConclusionsThis study demonstrated an association between neighborhood recreation facilities and depressive symptoms in older adults and found the age difference of this effect. Public health department need pay more attention to neighborhood environment construction to promote healthy aging.

Over ninety years old: Does high cognitive reserve still help brain efficiency?

Nonagenarians and centenarians, also called oldest-old, are a very heterogeneous population that counts a limited number of individuals as it is a real challenge to reach this goal. Even if it is well known that cognitive reserve can be considered a factor in maintaining good cognitive functioning in ageing, only very few studies have been carried out on the role of cognitive reserve (CR) in the oldest-old people. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between cognitive reserve and cognitive functioning in a population living in a specific region of Italy, the Blue Zone in Sardinia. This population is characterised by extreme longevity and distinctive historical, geographic, social, linguistic and nutritional features. The cognitive Reserve Index questionnaire (CRIq) and the short cognitive Esame Neuropsicologico Breve-2 (ENB-2, Brief Neuropsychological Examination) were administered to 67 participants, all aged between 90 and 105 years old. The CRIq was a predictor of neuropsychological performance for the global score of the battery of tests, ENB-2 (ENB-tot) and also for 7 out of 16 of its sub-tests. All except one (Token) tapped executive functions (Interference memory at 10 and 30 s, TMT-B, Overlapping figures, ion, Fluency). Results highlight that also in the oldest-old population CR has a positive effect on cognition, especially on executive functioning.

Genes Involved in DNA Damage Cell Pathways and Health of the Oldest-Old (85+).

Some sources report a connection of cellular senescence with chronic pathological conditions; however, the association between particular cellular processes and general health is rarely examined. This study aims to test the relationship of general health with DNA damage pathways that play a crucial role in senescence. The association of ten selected SNPs with subjective and objective general health and functional ability indicators has been tested in 314 oldest-old people from Croatia. Multivariate logistic regression was employed to simultaneously test the impact of variables potentially influencing targeted health and functional ability variables. The best model, explaining 37.1% of the variance, has six independent significant predictors of functional ability scores: rs16847897 in TERC, rs533984 in MRE11A, and rs4977756 in CDKN2B, chronic disease count, Mini-Mental State Examination scores, and age at surveying. In conclusion, the examined ten loci involved in DNA damage repair pathways showed a more significant association with self-rated health and functional ability than with the number of disease or prescribed medicaments. The more frequent, longevity-related homozygote (GG) in rs16847897 was associated with all three aspects of self-assessments-health, mobility, and independence-indicating that this TERC locus might have a true impact on the overall vitality of the oldest-old persons.

Burden of falls attributable to low bone mineral density among people aged 60 years and over in China from 1990 to 2019.

Falls in older people have become a major public health, economic and societal problem. Osteoporosis predisposes older adults to high risk of falls, which were the most common outcome attributable to low bone mineral density (LBMD). In this study, we analyze the long-term trends in falls burden attributable to LBMD among people aged 60 years and over from 1990 to 2019, using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2019 (GBD 2019). Data from GBD 2019 were used to assess the long-term trends in mortality and disability-adjusted life-year (DALY) rates by Joinpoint regression. The age-period-cohort (APC) model was used to evaluate the effects of age, period and cohort on mortality rate of falls attributable to LBMD. The mortality and DALYs rates of falls attributable to LBMD among people aged 60 years and over increased from 1990 to 2019, with average annual percentage changes (AAPCs) of 1.74% (95% CI: -1.47 to 2.01%) and 0.99% (95% CI: 0.80-1.19%), respectively. APC analysis revealed that the mortality rate due to LBMD significantly increased among the older people over the age of 75 years. The risk of falls mortality due to LBMD during the period of 1990-2019 initially declined but later elevated. An overall increasing risk for falls death attributable to LBMD was presented across birth cohorts, but in cohorts born after 1930, the upward trend has slowed down. The overall net drift per year attributable to LBMD was above 0. The corresponding results showed that the negative impact of period and cohort effects among males was more pronounced than those among females. Falls attributable to LBMD remain an ongoing health burden in the older people in China, and the mortality has been on the rise from 1990 to 2019, especially among the older people aged 80+ years group. The prevention and treatment of LBMD should be emphasized, especially among males and oldest-old people. Furthermore, there is an urgent need to strengthen the implementation of system-wide, integrated and effective public health policies and other health interventions in China.

Validation of the Chinese version of the resilience scale for the oldest-old.

Resilience is one of the most important variables associated with adaptive ability. The resilience scale for the oldest-old age (RSO) has been designed to measure the resilience among the oldest-old people. Originally developed in Japan, this scale has not been used in China. The objective of this study was to translate the RSO into Chinese and investigate its validity and reliability among the community's oldest-old adults aged ≥80 years. A total of 473 oldest-old people who came from communities were recruited by convenience sampling for the assessment of construct validity using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). In addition, internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, face validity, and content validity were used to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of RSO. The RSO demonstrated good face validity and content validity. The content validity index of the Chinese version of the RSO was 0.890. Moreover, one factor was extracted by exploratory factor analysis, which accounted for 61.26% of the variance. The RSO had high internal consistency with a Cronbach's alpha = 0.927. The test-retest reliability was 0.785. The item-total correlations ranged from 0.752 to 0.832. The results of the study indicate that the Chinese version of the RSO questionnaire has good reliability and validity and can be recommended for use by health and social service agencies as a method for assessing the resilience of the oldest-old in the community.

Association of rurality, type of primary caregiver and place of death with end-of-life medical expenditures among the oldest-old population in China

BackgroundUnderstanding whether the type of primary caregiver and end-of-life (EOL) care location are associated with EOL medical expenditures is crucial to inform global debates on policies for efficient and effective EOL care. This study aims to assess trends in the type of primary caregiver and place of death stratified by rural‒urban status among the oldest-old population from 1998–2018 in China. A secondary objective is to determine the associations between rurality, the type of primary caregiver, place of death and EOL medical expenditures. MethodsA total of 20,149 deaths of people aged 80 years or older were derived from the Chinese Longitudinal Health Longevity Survey (CLHLS). Cochran-Armitage tests and Cuzick’s tests were used to test trends in the type of primary caregiver and place of death over time, respectively. Tobit models were used to estimate the marginal associations of rurality, type of primary caregiver, and place of death with EOL medical expenditures because CLHLS sets 100,000 Chinese yuan (approximately US$15,286) as the upper limit of the outcome variable. ResultsOf the 20,149 oldest-old people, the median age at death was 97 years old, 12,490 (weighted, 58.6%, hereafter) were female, and 8,235 lived in urban areas. From 1998–2018, the prevalence of informal caregivers significantly increased from 94.3% to 96.2%, and home death significantly increased from 86.0% to 89.5%. The proportion of people receiving help from informal caregivers significantly increased in urban decedents (16.5%) but decreased in rural decedents (-4.0%), while home death rates significantly increased among both urban (15.3%) and rural (1.8%) decedents. In the adjusted models, rural decedents spent less than urban decedents did (marginal difference [95% CI]: $-229 [$-378, $-80]). Those who died in hospitals spent more than those who died at home ($798 [$518, $1077]). No difference in medical expenditures by type of primary caregiver was observed.ConclusionsOver the past two decades, the increases in informal caregiver utilization and home deaths were unequal, leading to substantially higher EOL medical expenditures among urban decedents and deceased individuals who died at hospitals than among their counterparts who lived in rural areas and died at home.

Comparison of frailty in oldest-old people using the Clinical-Functional Vulnerability Index-20 (IVCF-20) and Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS)

Resumo Objetivo Comparar os escores do Índice de Vulnerabilidade Clínico-Funcional-20 (IVCF-20) e da Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS) entre pessoas idosas com 80 anos ou mais de idade que vivem na comunidade, considerando a prevalência e o grau de concordância. Método Trata-se de estudo transversal, aninhado a uma coorte de base populacional. A amostragem na linha de base foi probabilística, por conglomerados, em dois estágios. No primeiro, utilizou-se como unidade amostral o setor censitário. No segundo, definiu-se o número de domicílios segundo a densidade populacional de pessoas idosas. Foram determinados a sensibilidade, a especificidade e os valores preditivos. A estatística Kappa analisou o grau de concordância entre os instrumentos. Resultados Foram avaliadas 92 pessoas idosas longevas. A prevalência do alto risco de vulnerabilidade clínico-funcional, considerado pessoa idosa frágil, foi de 45,7% pelo IVCF-20 e a prevalência de fragilidade pela EFS foi de 44,6%. Os valores de sensibilidade, especificidade, valor preditivo positivo e valor preditivo negativo foram, respectivamente, 88,23%, 87,80%, 90,0% e 85,71%. A acurácia foi de 88,04%. A estatística Kappa foi 0,759 (p&lt;0,001). Conclusão Os instrumentos IVCF-20 e EFS possuem boa acurácia e concordância forte, quando aplicado em pessoas idosas longevos que vivem na comunidade. A identificação da fragilidade foi superior, quando utilizado o IVCF-20. O resultado indica que os instrumentos avaliados possuem similaridade na prevalência da fragilidade em pessoas idosas longevas comunitárias.

Comparação da fragilidade em pessoas idosas longevas pelo Índice de Vulnerabilidade Clínico-Funcional-20 (IVCF-20) e pela Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS)

Abstract Objective To compare Clinical-Functional Vulnerability Index-20 (IVCF-20) and Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS) scores among community-dwelling older people aged ≥80 years for prevalence and degree of agreement. Method A cross-sectional study nested within a population-based cohort, was conducted. Baseline sampling was probabilistic by two-stage clustering. In the first stage, the census tract was used as the sampling unit. In the second stage, the number of households was defined according to the population density of individuals aged ≥60 years. Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values were determined and Kappa statistics expressed degree of agreement between the instruments. Results 92 oldest-old people were evaluated. The prevalence of high risk of clinical and functional vulnerability on the IVCF, indicating frailty, was 45,7%, whereas the prevalence of frailty using the EFS was 44,6%. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive values were 88,23%, 87,80%, 90,0% and 85,71%, respectively. Accuracy was 88,04% and the Kappa statistic 0.759 (p&lt;0.001). Conclusion The IVCF-20 and EFS instruments showed good accuracy and strong agreement when applied to community-dwelling oldest-old people. The identification of frailty was superior using the IVCF-20. These results show that the instruments detected similar frailty prevalence in community-dwelling oldest-old people.

ACCEPTABILITY OF A VIDEOCONFERENCE-BASED MULTICOMPONENT EXERCISE PROGRAM (VIVIFRAIL) FOR THE OLDEST-OLD

Abstract Introduction Previous studies have shown the effectiveness of supervised multicomponent exercise programs on counteract age-related changes in functional capacity and quality of life in the oldest-old. During the quarantine imposed by COVID-19 pandemic, social isolation has been a barrier to implement face-to face exercise programs. Objective: To study the acceptance and adequacy of an exercise protocol in oldest-old. Methodology: Quasi-experimental study with initial, intermediate and post-intervention evaluation. The functional capacity assessment was carried out by the Vivifrail test (Short Physical Performance Battery and 4 falls risk assessment tests), by videoconference at the three moments of the project. For twelve weeks, the older adults performed multicomponent ViviFrail exercises with monitoring and acceptance assessment (with a maximum score of 24 points) by weekly contact by videoconference. Results This study concluded 14 oldest-old (89.07 ± 6.30 years). In the 12 weeks, the participants showed an average increase of 4.2 points in acceptance, with a significant correlation (p &amp;lt; 0.001). It was possible to observe an improvement in the functional capacity of the oldest old, although not significant, with a decrease in the time to perform the Time Up and Go tests, sit and stand, and in walking time, which is the most evident change. Conclusions This study demonstrated that a home training program with weekly monitoring by videoconference was well accepted and suitable for oldest-old people in a period of social isolation imposed by COVID-19. In addition, it proved to be an effective intervention for maintaining and improving the functional capacity of oldest-old people.

Sarcopenia and its association with objectively measured life-space mobility and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in the oldest-old amid the COVID-19 pandemic when a physical distancing policy is in force

IntroductionThe oldest-old are highly vulnerable to sarcopenia. Physical distancing remains a common and effective infection-control policy to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission during the pandemic. Sarcopenia is known to be associated with impaired immunity. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and life-space mobility (LSM) are potential strategies for minimizing the risk of sarcopenia. However, a physical distancing policy might jeopardize the practice of MVPA and LSM. The purposes of this study were to identify the prevalence of sarcopenia and examine the association between MVPA and LSM with sarcopenia in the community-dwelling oldest-old during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsThis study employed a cross-sectional and observational design. The study was conducted in 10 community centres for older people in Hong Kong during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic (September to December 2020). Eligible participants were the oldest-old people aged ≥85 years, who were community-dwelling and had no overt symptoms of cognitive impairment or depression. Key variables included sarcopenia as measured by SARC-F, LSM as measured by a GPS built into smartphones, and MVPA as measured by a wrist-worn ActiGraph GT3X+. Variables were described by mean and frequency. A multiple linear regression was employed to test the hypotheses. The dependent variable was sarcopenia and the independent variables included LSM and MVPA.ResultsThis study recruited 151 eligible participants. Their mean age was 89.8 years and the majority of them were female (n = 93/151, 61.6%). The prevalence of sarcopenia was 24.5% (n = 37/151) with a margin of error of 6.86%. MVPA was negatively associated with sarcopenia in older people (β = − 0.002, SE = 0.001, p = 0.029). However, LSM was not associated with sarcopenia.ConclusionThe prevalence of sarcopenia in the community-dwelling oldest-old population is high. MVPA is negatively associated with sarcopenia. LSM is unrelated to sarcopenia. Sarcopenia should be recognized and the oldest-old with sarcopenia should be accorded priority treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Availability of foods according to the degree of processing in families with young elderly and oldest-old (POF 2017-2018)

ABSTRACT Objective To compare the availability of healthy and unhealthy foods in families with and without elderly and oldest-old people. Methods This is an observational, cross-sectional study with secondary data from the Household Budget Survey, conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics between 2017 and 2018. Families were characterized based on the oldest member: Control (without elderly and oldest-old) or with elderly and oldest-old. The sociodemographic characteristics of the families and the foods purchased by the families were obtained, according to the Nova classification (in natura, processed and ultra-processed foods, in addition to culinary ingredients). Results Families with elderly and oldest-old people had greater availability of fresh foods and fewer ultra-processed foods. In contrast, young families showed greater acquisition of all ultra-processed food items. Conclusion The unfavorable nutritional transition process with fewer in natura foods seemed to be less evident in families with higher age groups. It is concluded that the presence of the elderly and oldest-old in the family could be related to a better quality of the family diet, with a greater presence of fresh foods and a lower acquisition of ultra-processed foods.

Health-Related Quality of Life and Associated Factors: Regional Differences Among Oldest-Old in Brazil.

PurposeThe aim of this research was to investigate the extent to which socioeconomic and regional differences in Brazil may influence the quality of life. To this end, we examined factors associated with health-related quality of life in two populations of oldest-old people, aged 80 and over: one from the Northeast of Brazil and the other from the Southeast.Methods417 participants aged 80 and over were interviewed face-to-face, 179 from Brejo dos Santos, one of the poorest regions in the Northeast; and 238 from São Paulo, one of the largest urban metropolises in Southeast Brazil. Data, which included socioeconomic and demographic factors, health status, and health-related quality of life, were collected using a structured questionnaire. The dependent variable was determined by the completion rate of the 12-item Short Form Survey and analyzed using multiple logistic regression.ResultsAlthough the population of São Paulo had four times as many long-lived women than men, had better literacy levels, used more medications, and presented a greater prevalence of symptoms suggestive of depression in comparison to the Northeast’s population, no difference was observed in the proportion of good physical components among the two populations, 54.3% in Brejo dos Santos’ oldest-old and 50.4% in São Paulo’s (P = .6272). Quality and quantity of sleep were factors that most affected the health-related quality of life among the oldest-old of Northeast.ConclusionFactors associated with health-related quality of life were different among the oldest-old people of the two locations, thereby corroborating the heterogeneous nature of the longevous population.

Considering of nutritional management in hospitalized oldest-old patients

Rationale: Older people(over 65 years) and oldest-old people(over 80 years) categorize respectively in WHO definition, and ESPEN geriatrics guideline say 30kcal/kg is appropriate calorie for older people including oldest-old people adjusting for individual conditions. In our study, age was related to nutritional improvement at discharge that oldest-old inpatient group’s nutritional improvement rate was significantly lower than that of older inpatient group. (P=0.00722, chi-square test) Japan's aging rate is the highest in the world,hence we need to consider whether to do another nutritional management for oldest-old patients or not.

Multimorbidity and Polypharmacy do not influence the Self-Perception of Health among the very Elderly: A Cross-Sectional Study

he manuscript intends to investigate if multimorbidity (≥2 chronic diseases) and polypharmacy (≥5 drugs) influence the health self-perception in oldest-old people (≥80 years). A sample of 190 outpatients was submitted to a medical consult and application of questionnaires, to assess clinical and sociodemographic characteristics, self-reported diseases and medication use

Changes in late-life systolic blood pressure and all-cause mortality among oldest-old people in China: the chinese longitudinal healthy longevity survey

BackgroundBlood pressure targets for oldest-old people have been long debated due to the concern that more stringent targets are associated with increased mortality. We aimed to investigate the association between changes of late-life systolic blood pressure (SBP), mean SBP and SBP variability (SBPV), and all-cause mortality in oldest-old.MethodsBased on the community-based Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey with follow-up conducted in the 3-year interval, we assembled a retrospective cohort of 6639 participants ≥ 80 years with available blood pressure measurements at baseline and second wave. The primary exposures were mean SBP and SBPV (defined as the annual difference in SBP divided by mean SBP) measured between baseline and second wave. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality assessed from the second wave.ResultsDuring 21443.1 person-years of follow-up, 4622 death was recorded. U-shaped associations of mortality with mean SBP and SBPV were identified; the value of 137 mmHg and 4.0 %/year conferred the minimum mortality risk, respectively. The associations of a larger SBPV with an increased mortality risk were observed for both rises and large falls in SBP. The hazard ratio was 1.11 (comparing lowest versus middle quintile; 95 % CI: 1.01, 1.22) with large falls in SBPV and 1.08 (comparing highest versus middle quintile; 95 % CI: 0.98, 1.18) with large rises in SBPV.ConclusionsU-shaped associations between late-life SBP and SBPV and all-cause mortality were found. Our study suggests that a stable SBP level in the middle range is related to lower mortality risk in the oldest-old.