Racial-ethnic differences in the associations between functional disabilities and subsequent depression among community-dwelling midlife and older adults in the US.

Background: The intersection of race/ethnicity with disability is a critical dimension of mental health outcomes in later ages that remains under-investigated.

Objective: We examined the role of race-ethnicity in moderating the associations between functional disabilities and subsequent depression among Americans 51 and older and stratified into the two age-groups of midlife (51-64) and older adults (≥65).

Methods: Using a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling Americans (≥51; n = 7475) in the 2016-2018 Health and Retirement Study, we conducted bivariate and multivariable regression analyses.

The Role of Life Satisfaction and Optimism for Successful Aging in Mid and Late Life.

Guided by the Rowe and Kahn model, the current study examined the longitudinal association of objective and subjective components of successful aging (SA) with individuals' life satisfaction and level of optimism across adulthood aiming to validate the related scanty existing research. Data were from waves 2 and 3 (2004-14) of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. Using structural equation modeling, we examined ( = 2,040) whether subjective life satisfaction (wave 2) has any effect on a composite measure of SA (wave 3) while controlling for baseline sociodemographic and health factors.

Empirical evidence supporting the inclusion of multi-axes segregation in assessing US county health.

To facilitate community action toward health equity, the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program (CHR&R) assigns health rankings to US counties. The CHR&R conceptual model considers White-Black and White-non-White dissimilarity values to represent residential segregation as part of the family and social support subcomponent. As the US is greying and becoming more multi-racial-ethnic, the two-group White-centered segregation measures are inadequate to capture segregation among population subgroups in the US.

Protective roles of meditation practice and self-esteem on cognitive functions over time: findings from the Midlife in the United States study.

Background: Cognitive function is an important component of healthy ageing. However, it is unclear whether relaxation/meditation practices provide cognitive benefits, particularly in midlife and early late life. Meditative practices are associated with higher self-esteem, and self-esteem serves as a general protective factor for many health outcomes.

Older Adult Falls in the Community: Does Unsafe Home Environment Have a Risk Role Through the Mediating Effect of Functional Limitations?

Background And Objectives: Fall incidents from unsafe home environments are frequent in older-adult homes but the literature is ambiguous whether it is the presence/absence, or the interplay of such conditions and physical functioning that is of salience. We therefore estimated whether unsafe home environment is adversely associated with subsequent falls among older adults and what proportion of this association was mediated through limitations in daily and instrumental activities of daily living (ADL/IADL).

Research Design And Methods: Using a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries (≥65 years) in the 2018-2019 National Health and Aging Trends Study (n = 2,599), we conducted bivariate and multivariable analyses.

The Healthy Caregiver? A Positive Impact of Informal Caregiving Status on Cognitive Functions Over Time From the Midlife in the United States Study.

Objectives: The current study examined whether informal caregivers performed worse, better, or similar to non-caregivers on cognitive tests of executive functioning and episodic memory over 10 years. Data were from waves 2 (2003-04) and 3 (2013-14) of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study ( = 2086). Multiple linear regression models examined whether caregiving at both waves 2 and 3 predicted better cognitive functioning at wave 3, than caregiving at only one time point or no caregiving (reference) while controlling for baseline covariates (i.

Age-Dependent Differences in Frequent Mental Distress (FMD) of US Older Adults Living in Multigenerational Families versus Living Alone.

Frequent mental distress (FMD) is prevalent among older Americans, but less is known about disparities in FMD of older adults living in multigenerational families versus living alone. We pooled cross-sectional data (unweighted, n = 126,144) from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) between 2016 and 2020 and compared FMD (≥14 poor mental health days in the past 30 days = 1; 0 otherwise) of older adults (≥65 years) living in multigenerational families versus living alone in 36 states. After controlling for covariates, findings indicate 23% lower odds of FMD among older adults living in multigenerational households compared to counterparts living alone (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 0.

Risk Factors of Fall-Related Emergency Department Visits by Fall Location of Older Adults in the US.

Introduction: Prior evidence indicates that predictors of older adult falls vary by indoor-outdoor location of the falls. While a subset of United States' studies reports this finding using primary data from a single geographic area, other secondary analyses of falls across the country do not distinguish between the two fall locations. Consequently, evidence at the national level on risk factors specific to indoor vs outdoor falls is lacking.

Changing Age Segregation in the US: 1990 to 2010.

Age segregation adversely impacts health and wellbeing. Prior studies, although limited, report increasing age segregation of the US. However, these studies are dated, do not comprehensively examine the spatiotemporal patterns and the correlates of intergenerational segregation, or suffer from methodological limitations.

Interpreting COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents in the US: The changing role of facility quality over time.

A report published last year by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) highlighted that COVID-19 case counts are more likely to be high in lower quality nursing homes than in higher quality ones. Since then, multiple studies have examined this association with a handful also exploring the role of facility quality in explaining resident deaths from the virus. Despite this wide interest, no previous study has investigated how the relation between quality and COVID-19 mortality among nursing home residents may have changed, if at all, over the progression of the pandemic.

Pickleball for Inactive Mid-Life and Older Adults in Rural Utah: A Feasibility Study.

Many diseases, disabilities, and mental health conditions associated with aging can be delayed or prevented through regular exercise. Several barriers to exercise, many of which are exacerbated in rural communities, prevent mid-life and older adults from accessing its benefits. However, recently, a racquet sport named pickleball has become popular among older adults, and it appears to overcome some of these barriers.

Associations between living alone, depression, and falls among community-dwelling older adults in the US.

Social isolation is closely linked to depression and falls in late life and are common among seniors. Although the literature has highlighted age-related variations in these three geriatric conditions, evidence on heterogeneities across older adult age categories is lacking. To address this gap, we present cross-sectional analyses using indicators of social isolation, depression, and falls of older adults constructed from the most recent Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data.

Geographic Variation in Cold Ischemia Time: Kidney vs. Liver Transplantation in the United States, 2003-2011.

Background: Regional variations in kidney and liver transplant outcomes have been reported, but their causes remain largely unknown. This study investigated variations in kidney and liver cold ischemia times (CITs) across Organ Procurement Organizations (OPO) as potential causes of variations in transplant outcomes.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed the Standard Transplant Analysis and Research (STAR) data of deceased donor kidney (n=61,335) and liver (n=39,285) transplants performed between 2003 and 2011.

Redesigning Organ Allocation Boundaries for Liver Transplantation in the United States.

Geographic disparities in access to and outcomes in transplantation have been a persistent problem widely discussed by transplant researchers and the transplant community. One of the alleged causes of disparities in the United States is administratively determined organ allocation boundaries that limit organ sharing across regions. This paper applies mathematical programming to construct alternative liver allocation boundaries that achieve more geographic equity in access to transplants than the current system.