Risk and protective factors for wellbeing in older veterans in New Zealand

Objectives: To compare indicators relating to aging and health among veterans and non-veterans, and identify factors associated with subjective wellbeing (SWB) of older New Zealand veterans.

Methods: Self-reported data were obtained from participants in a longitudinal cohort study of New Zealand older adults. Responses from 352 veterans and 1500 non-veterans (age range of 55–86 and gender matched) were selected as a comparison group on indicators related to health and aging. The association of these indicators with veterans’ SWB were assessed using hierarchical regression.

Results: Apart from being older, smoking more, and having more chronic conditions, veterans did not differ from non-veterans on indicators of health and wellbeing. Mental health, physical health, purpose in life, housing satisfaction, and capabilities (choice and freedom) accounted for a significant amount of variance in veterans’ SWB.

Conclusion: Our results suggest that older veterans do not differ greatly on indices of health and aging from their non-veteran peers. Results support previous findings that lower mental and physical health is associated with lower SWB for veterans. Building upon prior findings, the current results demonstrate that interventions focusing on enhancing a sense of purpose in life, supporting one's capability to achieve, and strengthening social and physical environment through social connectedness, may serve as protective factors for SWB in veterans.     

Methodological Challenges in Online Trials

Health care and health care services are increasingly being delivered over the Internet. There is a strong argument that interventions delivered online should also be evaluated online to maximize the trial’s external validity. Conducting a trial online can help reduce research costs and improve some aspects of internal validity. To date, there are relatively few trials of health interventions that have been conducted entirely online. In this paper we describe the major methodological issues that arise in trials (recruitment, randomization, fidelity of the intervention, retention, and data quality), consider how the online context affects these issues, and use our experience of one online trial evaluating an intervention to help hazardous drinkers drink less (DownYourDrink) to illustrate potential solutions. Further work is needed to develop online trial methodology.     

Kidney renin mRNA levels in the early and chronic phases of two-kidney, one clip hypertension in the rat

The effect of clipping the left renal artery on left and right kidney renin mRNA levels during the early and chronic phases of two-kidney, one clip Goldblatt hypertension in the rat was studied. Renin mRNA levels were determined using northern and dot blotting. Four weeks after clipping, renin mRNA levels were sixfold higher in the left kidney and eightfold lower in the right kidney of the Goldblatt rats compared with the left kidney of the sham-operated rats. Similar analysis at 20 weeks after clipping showed a fourfold increase in the left kidney and a 16-fold suppression in the right kidney compared with age-matched sham-operated control rats. The study demonstrates the profound changes that occur in renin gene expression in the clipped and contralateral kidneys in this model of hypertension and shows that these changes persist into the chronic phase of the hypertension.