Smoking and physical inactivity patterns during midlife as predictors of all-cause mortality and disability: a 39-year prospective study

This study estimated the long-term mortality hazards and disability risks associated with various combinations of smoking and physical inactivity measured over time in a sample of middle-aged adults. Data have been collected from a national sample of Swedish adults, originally interviewed in 1968 and followed until 2007 (N = 1,682). Smoking and physical activity status were measured at baseline and 13 years later (1981). Different patterns of change and stability in smoking and physical inactivity over this 13 year period were used as predictors of mortality through 2007. Also, associations between different patterns of these health behaviors and the odds of disability (measured in 2004) were estimated among survivors (n = 925). Results suggest that mortality rates were elevated among persistent (HR = 1.7; 95 % CI = 1.5–2.0) and new smokers (HR = 2.5; 95 % CI = 1.6–4.1), but not among discontinued smokers. However, mortality rates remained elevated among discontinued smokers who were also persistently inactive (HR = 1.9; 95 % CI = 1.3–2.6). Additional findings suggest that persistent physical inactivity during midlife was associated with increased odds of late life disability (OR = 1.8; 95 % CI = 1.1–2.7), but that smoking had no clear additive or multiplicative effects on disability. As such, these findings indicate that while persistent smoking during midlife primarily impacts subsequent mortality, persistent physical inactivity during midlife appears to counteract the survival benefits of smoking cessation, while also imposing a long-term risk on late life disability among those who do survive to old age.     

Relationship of Quality of Life with Disability Grade in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Dysthymic Disorder

Background:

There is paucity of information on the relationship of quality of life (QOL) in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and dysthymic disorder (DD) with disability grade in India.

Aim:

To assess the relation of QOL with disability level in OCD and DD.

Materials and Methods:

This hospital based study was conducted in a medical institution in Davanagere, Karnataka, India. Data was collected by using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV Text Revision (DSM IV TR) criteria, WHO QOL BREF and IDEAS. Relationship between disability grade and QOL was assessed by independent sample t test.

Results:

Mild disabled OCD patients had a significantly better QOL in the Q1 domain i.e. perception on quality of life as compared to moderately disabled patients (P < 0.05), while in other domains of QOL, there was no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05). But, QOL score in physical domain showed significant difference across disability grades (56.00, SD = 6.89; 48.50, SD = 12.28) in DD, but not in other domains.

Conclusion:

Perception of QOL is better in those with mild disability in OCD, but in DD, physical domain of QOL score is more in mild disability compared to moderate disability.     

The latent factors of depression from the short forms of the CES-D are consistent,reliable and valid in community-living older adults

BackgroundDepression is an important public health outcome in the older adult population. It is associated with declining physical and psychological well-being and increasing healthcare utilisation. The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) although widely accepted as a screening tool for depressive symptoms in older adults, can be long and exhaustive as part of a comprehensive geriatric assessment.AimWe investigated the consistency, reliability and validity of the original and three short formats of the CES-D.MethodsSix thousand six hundred and thirty-seven community-living adults, aged ≥ 50 years from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), completed the 20-item CES-D. Confirmatory factor analysis determined the factor structures of the 20-, 10- and two 8-item formats of the CES-D. Latent factors from each format were validated against disability and perceived stress, particularly the Positive Affect factor. Analysis was also performed in a subset aged 65+ years.ResultsAll formats of the CES-D displayed good internally consistency (0.87–0.72) and good model fit for the expected four- and three-factor structures of the CES-D. Latent factors from all formats were representative of each other and the Positive Affect factor was negatively correlated with disability and perceived stress on all CES-D formats.ConclusionShort forms of the CES-D are consistent, reliable and valid for use in the older adult population (50+ or 65+ years), where avoiding long assessments and response fatigue is warranted. These formats may be used to measure Positive Affect, an important construct related to physical health, resilience and psychological well-being in later life.     

中国中老年人失能状况公平性与影响因素

目的 分析中国50岁及以上中老年人失能状况和失能状况公平性,并探究中老年人失能状况不公平的主要影响因素。方法 利用全球老龄化与成人健康研究(Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health,SAGE)中国2007—2010年第一轮调查数据,计算集中指数和集中曲线,并对集中指数进行分解。结果 中国中老年人失能评估量表平均分为7.32,中老年男性平均分为6.37,女性平均分为8.21。中老年人失能状况集中指数为-0.190 9,中老年男性为-0.184 4,中老年女性为-0.196 1。对集中指数进行分解后,社会经济地位对中老年人失能状况不公平的贡献较高,包括经济水平、受教育程度和工作类型,贡献率分别为66.41%、16.45%和13.10%。与社会结构因素相比,中老年人吸烟、饮酒和身体活动情况等个人生活方式因素的贡献率较低。结论 中国存在中老年人失能状况不公平,较好的健康状况集中在经济水平较好的中老年人群中。中老年男性失能状况较女性更轻,且失能状况不公平程度更小。经济水平、受教育程度和工作类型是对中国中老年人失能状况不公平贡献率较高的主要因素,提示仅通过促进中老年人健康生活方式不能够有效减少失能状况在经济水平较好和较差的中老年人群中的差异。政府需要在重视促进中老年人健康的基础上,进一步加强和完善适宜的社会和医疗保障措施,将减少中老年人健康不公平作为政策重点,尤其应该向发展相对滞后、中老年人相对聚集的地区重点分配医疗卫生和其他相关社会资源,同时应该加大对中老年人健康和健康公平相关研究的支持,为积极应对人口老龄化和制定政策收集证据。     

Age-related differences in lower extremity tissue compartments and associations with physical function in older adults

The lower extremities are important to performing physical activities of daily life. This study investigated lower extremity tissue composition, i.e. muscle and fat volumes, in young and older adults and the relative importance of individual tissue compartments to the physical function of older adults. A total of 43 older (age 78.3 ± 5.6 years) and 20 younger (age 23.8 ± 3.9 years) healthy men and women participated in the study. Older participants were further classified as either high- (HF) or low-functioning (LF) according to the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Magnetic resonance images were used to determine the volumes of skeletal muscle, subcutaneous fat (SAT), and intermuscular fat (IMAT) in the thigh (femoral) and calf (tibiofibular) regions. After adjusting for the sex of participants, younger participants had more femoral muscle mass than older adults (p < 0.001 for between group differences) as well as less femoral IMAT (p = 0.008) and tibiofibular IMAT (p < 0.001). Femoral muscle was the only tissue compartment demonstrating a significant difference between the two older groups, with HF participants having 31% more femoral muscle mass than LF participants (mean difference = 103.0 ± 34.0 cm³; p = 0.011). In subsequent multiple regression models including tissue compartments and demographic confounders, femoral muscle was the primary compartment associated with both SPPB score (r² = 0.264, p = 0.001) and 4-meter gait speed (r² = 0.187, p = 0.007). These data suggest that aging affects all lower extremity compartments, but femoral muscle mass is the major compartment associated with physical function in older adults.     

Reducing the Probability of False Positives in Malingering Detection of Social Security Disability Claimants

The Symptom Validity Scale (SVS) for low-functioning individuals (Chafetz, Abrahams, & Kohlmaier, 2007) employs embedded indicators within the Social Security Psychological Consultative Examination (PCE) to derive a score validated for malingering against two criterion tests: Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) and Medical Symptom Validity Test (MSVT). When any symptom validity test is used with Social Security claimants there is a known rate of mislabeling (1-specificity), essentially calling a performance biased (invalid) when it is not, also known as a false-positive error. The great costs of mislabeling an honest claimant necessitated the present study, designed to show how multiple positive findings reduce the potential for mislabeling. This study utilized a known-groups design to address the impact of using multiple embedded indicators within the SVS on the diagnostic probability of malingering. Using four SVS components, Sequence, Ganser, and Coding errors, along with Reliable Digit Span (RDS), the positive predictive power was computed directly or by the chaining of likelihood ratios. The posterior probability of malingering increased from one to two to three failed indicators. With three failed indicators, there were essentially no false positive errors, and the total SVS score was in the range consistent with Definite Malingering, as shown in Chafetz et al. (2007). Thus, in a typical PCE when an examiner might have only a few embedded indicators, more confidence in a diagnosis of malingering might be obtained with a finding of multiple failures.     

Altered resting hemodynamics in lower-extremity arteries of individuals with spinal cord injury

Abstract

Objective

To investigate lower-extremity arterial hemodynamics in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). We hypothesized that oscillatory shear index would be altered and resting mean shear would be higher in the lower-extremity arteries of SCI.

Research

Cross-sectional study of men and women with SCIs compared to able-bodied controls.

Subjects

Subjects included 105 ages 18–72 years with American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale grades A, B, or C and injury duration at least 5 years. Subjects were matched for age and cardiovascular disease risk factors with 156 able-bodied controls.

Methods

Diameter and blood velocity were determined with subject at rest via ultrasound in superficial femoral, popliteal, brachial, and carotid arteries. Mean shear, antegrade shear, retrograde shear, and oscillatory shear index were calculated.

Results

Oscillatory shear index was lower in SCI compared to controls for superficial femoral (0.16 ± 0.10 vs. 0.26 ± 0.06, P < 0.01) and popliteal arteries (0.20 ± 0.11 vs. 0.26 ± 0.05, P < 0.01). Mean shear rate was higher in SCI compared to controls for superficial femoral (43.54 ± 28.0 vs. 20.48 ± 13.1/second, P < 0.01) and popliteal arteries (30.43 ± 28.1 vs. 11.68 ± 9.5/second, P < 0.01).

Conclusions

The altered resting hemodynamics in SCI are consistent with an atheroprotective hemodynamic environment.     

Influence of Sport Participation on Community Integration and Quality of Life: A Comparison Between Sport Participants and Non-Sport Participants With Spinal Cord Injury

Background/Objective: To determine whether community integration and/or quality of life (QoL) among people living with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) are superior among sport participants vs non-sport participants.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Participants/Methods: Persons (n = 90) living in the community with SCI (ASIA Impairment Scale A-D), level C5 or below, > 15 years of age, ≥ 12 months postinjury, and requiring a wheelchair for > 1 hours/day were divided into 2 groups based on their self-reported sport participation at interview: sport participants (n = 45) and non-sport participants (n = 45).

Results: Independent-sample t tests revealed that both Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ) and Reintegration to Normal Living Index (RNL) total mean scores were higher among sport participants vs nonsport participants (P < 0.05). Significant correlation between CIQ and RNL total scores was found for all participants (Pearson correlation coefficients, P < 0.01). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the unadjusted odds ratio of a high CIQ mean score was 4.75 (95% Cl 1.7, 13.5) among current sport participants. Similarly, the unadjusted odds ratio of a high RNL score was 7.00 (95% Cl 2.3, 21.0) among current sport participants. Regression-adjusted odds ratios of high CIQ and high RNL scores were 1.36 (95% Cl 0.09, 1.45) and 0.15 (95% Cl 0.04, 0.55), respectively. The odds ratio for pre-SCI sport participation predicting post-SCI sport participation was 3.06 (95% Cl 1.23, 7.65).

Conclusions: CIQ and QoL scores were higher among sport participants compared to non-sport participants. There was an association between mean CIQ and RNL scores for both groups. Sport participants were 4.75 and 7.00 times as likely to have high CIQ and QoL scores. Both groups had a similar likelihood of high CIQ and RNL scores after adjusting for important confounders. Individuals who participated in sports prior to SCI were more likely to participate in sports post-SCI.