Predictors of subjective age in community-dwelling older adults in Korea

Subjective age, or felt age, is highly related to one's actual health and survival. This study was conducted to explore subjective age in community-dwelling older adults in Korea, and to identify predictors of subjective age. Participants were 616 Korean older adults who were living in the community. A multiple regression analysis with a stepwise method was conducted to analyse subjective age. On average, the participants felt 7.8 per cent younger than their actual age. A multiple regression analysis revealed that less severe depression, having better perceived health, having no visual impairment, having higher handgrip strength, and living in a metropolitan area were associated with younger subjective age. Further studies are needed to determine the factors associated with subjective age in older adults. Based on this study, conceptual analyses of subjective age or longitudinal studies to determine the factors affecting subjective age are advisable.     

Effects of lumbosacral orthosis on dynamical structure of center of pressure fluctuations in patients with non-specific chronic low back pain: A randomized controlled trial

BackgroundA few clinical trials have examined the effect of treatment interventions on postural control in patients with chronic low back pain, all of which have exclusively evaluated postural stability using traditional linear measures of postural sway. However, postural control improvement cannot be determined by exclusively relying on linear measurements, because these parameters provide no information on underlying motor control mechanisms.ObjectiveThis study aimed to compare the effect of using lumbosacral orthoses (LSO) together with routine physical therapy, compared to routine physical therapy alone on postural control, using nonlinear analysis techniques.MethodsForty-four patients with low back pain were randomly allocated to the intervention and control groups. Both groups underwent 8 sessions of physical therapy twice weekly for 4 weeks. The intervention group received LSO in addition to routine physical therapy. Before and after the intervention, non-linear dynamical features of center of pressure fluctuations were assessed during quiet standing at 3 difficulty levels of postural tasks, including eyes open while standing on a rigid surface, eyes closed while standing on a rigid surface, and eyes closed while standing on a foam surface.ResultsThe results of this study showed that a 4-week intervention consisting of LSO and routine physical therapy modalities did not affect the temporal structure of postural sways in patients with low back pain.ConclusionTreatment strategies, such as routine physical therapy modalities or LSO, which exclusively focus on the correction of peripheral mechanics, fail to affect the behavior of the postural control system.     

Gender-specific associations between activities of daily living disability and depressive symptoms among older adults in China: Evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

PurposeTo evaluate the associations between BADL/IADL disability and depressive symptoms from the perspective of gender among older adults in China.MethodsThis cross-sectional study used the data from the second wave of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). The sample included 3463 older adults aged 60 years and older across China. Multivariable logistic regression models were conducted.ResultsAmong 3463 older adults, 1240 (35.8%) were classified as depressed, the prevalence of BADL and IADL disabilities were 756 (21.8%) and 1194 (34.5%), respectively. After controlling for covariates, BADL/IADL disability was significantly associated with an increased risk of depression prevalence both in men and women among older adults. Compared with IADL independent, IADL disability was about two times more likely to develop depressive symptoms in men (OR = 2.165, 95% CI = 1.661–2.822), which was much higher than that in women (OR = 1.748, 95% CI = 1.415–2.160). In contrast, the odds of being depressed for women with BADL disability (OR = 1.824, 95% CI = 1.447–2.299) were much higher than the odds for men with BADL disability (OR = 1.791, 95% CI = 1.348–2.379).ConclusionsOlder adults with BADL/IADL disability were more likely to have depressive symptoms both for men and women. However, the associations between depressive symptoms and BADL/IADL disability were different in gender. Our results suggest that differential institutional care service and appropriate strategies for improvement in mental health are required.