Does Escalating Violence and Associated Fear of Crime Worsen Psychological Well-Being in Community Dwellers Living in a Rural Setting? Results From the Atahualpa Project Cohort.

Background: Escalating street violence and criminal homicides have an adverse impact on psychological well-being. However, these consequences have been difficult to evaluate. Using a recently validated scale, we aimed to assess the impact of fear of crime on the psychological status of middle-aged and older adults living in a rural setting afflicted by endemic violence.

On the association between dietary oily fish intake and bone mineral density in frequent fish consumers of Amerindian ancestry. The three villages study.

Unlabelled: Reports addressing the effects of oily fish intake on bone health are inconsistent. This study shows that consumption of ≥ 5.2 oily fish servings/week (728 g) is associated with lower prevalence of osteopenia/osteoporosis in elderly women of Amerindian ancestry.

The Impact of Biological and Social Factors on Mortality in Older Adults Living in Rural Communities.

Background: Information on factors that increase mortality in remote settings is limited. This study aims to estimate the independent and joint role of several factors on mortality risk among older adults living in rural Ecuador.

Methods: Participants were selected from community-dwelling older adults who were included in previous studies targeting mortality risk factors in the study population.

Cognitive performance and all-cause mortality in community dwellers of Amerindian ancestry living in rural Ecuador: A population-based, longitudinal prospective study.

Objective: There is limited information on mortality risk in individuals with cognitive impairment living in rural Latin America. In this study, we assess the association between cognitive impairment and all-cause mortality in adults of Amerindian ancestry living in rural Ecuador.

Patients And Methods: Middle-aged and older adults enrolled in the population-based Three Villages Study cohort were followed prospectively in order to estimate mortality risk according to their baseline cognitive performance as determined by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).

High social risk and mortality. A prospective study in community-dwelling older adults living in a rural Ecuadorian village.

High social risk has been associated with mortality, but information on this relationship in remote rural communities is limited. Using the social determinants of health (SDH) specified in the Gijon's social-familial evaluation scale (SFES), we aimed to assess mortality risk according to levels of social risk in community-dwelling older adults living in rural Ecuador. Following a longitudinal population-based design, this study prospectively followed 457 individuals for an average of 8.

Dietary oily fish intake reduces the risk of all-cause mortality in frequent fish consumers of Amerindian ancestry living in coastal Ecuador: the Atahualpa project.

Purpose: To assess the relationship between dietary oily fish intake and all-cause mortality in a population of frequent fish consumers of Amerindian ancestry living in rural Ecuador.

Methods: Individuals aged ≥ 40 years enrolled in the prospective population-based Atahualpa Project cohort received annual questionnaires to estimate their dietary oily fish intake. Only fish served broiled or cooked in the soup were included for analysis.

Detrimental effect of high social risk on the cardiovascular health status of community-dwelling older adults living in rural settings. A population-based, longitudinal prospective study.

Background: Information of the effect of social risk on the cardiovascular health (CVH) status among individuals living in rural settings is limited. We aim to assess this effect in participants of the Three Villages Study cohort.

Methods: Following a longitudinal prospective design, older adults living in rural Ecuador received baseline social risk determinations by means of social determinants of health components included in the Gijon's Social-Familial Evaluation Scale (SFES) together with clinical interviews and procedures to determine CVH status included in the Life's Simple 7 construct.

The effect of previous strokes on the relationship between ankle-brachial index determinations and incident strokes: A population-based, longitudinal prospective study in older adults.

Objective: Abnormal ankle-brachial index (ABI) determinations may be associated with an increased risk of incident strokes. However, the impact of previous strokes in this relationship is unknown. We estimated the role of previous strokes on the association between abnormal ABI determinations and incident stroke risk in community-dwelling older adults.

Dietary oily fish intake and progression of diffuse subcortical damage of vascular origin: A longitudinal prospective study in community-dwelling older adults.

Introduction: Oily fish intake may reduce the progression of white matter hyperintensities (WMH) of presumed vascular origin due to their high content of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and other nutrients. However, information on this relationship is limited. We aimed to assess the association between oily fish intake and WMH progression in older adults living in rural coastal Ecuador.

Arterial stiffness and progression of white matter hyperintensities of presumed vascular origin in community-dwelling older adults of Amerindian ancestry: The Atahualpa Project Cohort.

Objective: Arterial stiffness - as measured by the aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV) - has been associated with biomarkers of cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD), in particular with white matter hyperintensities (WMH) of presumed vascular origin. Most studies have been conducted in White and Asian populations, and information on this relationship in other ethnic groups is limited. We designed a longitudinal prospective study to assess the impact of aPWV on WMH progression in individuals of Amerindian ancestry.

Social Determinants of Health (Social Risk) and Nutritional Status Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults Living in a Rural Setting: The Atahualpa Project.

Background: Several studies have attempted to clarify the role of social determinants of health (SDH) on nutritional status of older adults, but results are inconsistent due to differences in SDH assessments at different levels of population development. In this study, we assessed this association in community-dwelling older adults living in rural Ecuador. Methods: SDH were measured by the Gijon's Social-Familial Evaluation Scale (SFES) and nutritional status by the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA).

Risk for Subsequent SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Severe COVID-19 Among Community-Dwellers With Pre-Existing Cervicocephalic Atherosclerosis: A Population-Based Study.

Background: COVID-19 patients may develop atherosclerosis-related complications. Whether a proportion of these patients already had asymptomatic cervicocephalic atherosclerosis before SARS-CoV-2 infection is not known. This study assessed whether pre-existing cervicocephalic atherosclerosis increased the susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection or resulted in more severe or fatal COVID-19.

Social determinants of health and cognitive performance of older adults living in rural communities: The Three Villages Study.

Objectives: There is limited information on factors associated with poor cognitive performance in rural settings of Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Using the Three Villages Study Cohort, we assessed whether social determinants of health (SDH) play a role in cognitive performance among older adults living in rural Ecuador.

Methods: Atahualpa, El Tambo and Prosperidad residents aged ≥60 years received measurement of SDH by means of the Gijon Scale together with a Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).

Life's simple 7 and all-cause mortality. A population-based prospective cohort study in middle-aged and older adults of Amerindian ancestry living in rural Ecuador.

Life's Simple 7 is an initiative of the American Heart Association developed for stratifying risk factors associated with adverse vascular outcomes and premature mortality. While this scale has been widely used, there is limited information on its applicability to individuals living in remote communities where risk factors and lifestyles differ from those found in urban settings. This longitudinal prospective study aimed to assess, according to the Life's Simple 7 scale, all-cause mortality in community-dwelling middle-age and older adults of Amerindian ancestry living in rural Ecuador.

Height is Inversely Associated with Biomarkers of Intracranial Atherosclerotic Disease in Older Adults of Amerindian Ancestry: Exploring the Obesity Paradox.

Background: Various anthropometric measurements have been inversely associated with atherosclerosis, giving rise to the concept of an "obesity paradox" However, inconsistent study results make it difficult to determine the best anthropometric measurement with which to assess such inverse relationship. Height has been inversely associated with atherosclerosis and it is unlikely to be associated with unexpected biases. In this study, we aimed to assess the association between height and other anthropometric measurements and intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD).

Body Composition in Community-Dwelling Older Adults Before and After SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Longitudinal Prospective Study in a Rural Village Struck by the Pandemic.

Background: Information on the body composition of inhabitants of remote communities during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is limited. Using a longitudinal population-based study design, we assessed the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and changes in body composition.

Methods: Community-dwelling older adults living in a rural Ecuadorian village received body composition determinations before and 1 year after the pandemic as well as serological tests for detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

Hand grip strength before and after SARS-CoV-2 infection in community-dwelling older adults.

Objective: To assess the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and decreased hand grip strength (HGS).

Design: Longitudinal population-based study.

Setting: Community-dwelling older adults (aged ≥60 years) living in a rural Ecuadorian village struck by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Prevalence and Correlates of Intracranial Atherosclerotic Disease Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults of Amerindian Ancestry. The Three Villages Study.

Background: Knowledge on the prevalence and correlates of intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD) is limited. We aimed to assess prevalence, clinical and neuroimaging correlates of ICAD in a cohort of older adults of Amerindian ancestry.

Methods: The study included 581 community-dwellers aged ≥60 years (mean age 71 ± 8.

Association Between Pulsatile Components of Blood Pressure and Severe Tooth Loss in Rural Ecuador: The Three Villages Study.

Arterial hypertension has been associated with severe tooth loss, but differential associations with individual components of blood pressure (BP) have scarcely been investigated. We assessed the independent associations between pulsatile/steady components of BP and severe tooth loss in community-dwelling adults residing in 3 rural Ecuadorian villages. Individuals aged ≥40 years living in Atahualpa, El Tambo, and Prosperidad were identified during door-to-door surveys.

Mediation of age in the association between frailty and large artery atherosclerosis burden - A population study in community-dwelling older adults.

Background: A systematic evaluation of the relationship between frailty and large artery atherosclerosis (LAA) burden has not been carried out. Here, we aimed to assess the association between these variables in community-dwelling older adults living in Atahualpa (rural Ecuador).

Methods: Participants underwent frailty assessment and determinations of LAA in several vascular beds.

The association between aortic arterial stiffness, carotid intima-media thickness and carotid plaques in community-dwelling older adults: A population-based study.

Objective: Information on the associations among arterial stiffness, carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and carotid plaques as biomarkers of atherosclerosis is limited in diverse populations. We aimed to assess whether aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV) - as a surrogate of arterial stiffness - is associated with increased cIMT and the presence of carotid plaques in a cohort of older adults of Amerindian ancestry.

Methods: Atahualpa residents aged ≥60 years ( = 320) underwent aPWV determinations, and carotid ultrasounds for cIMT and plaque assessment.

Cerebral small vessel disease score and atherosclerosis burden - A population study in community-dwelling older adults.

Objective: Cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) and large artery atherosclerosis (LAA) are related to different pathogenetic mechanisms. However, relationships between single biomarkers of cSVD and LAA affecting isolated vascular beds have been reported. Using the Atahualpa Project cohort, we aimed to assess the association between cSVD score categories and LAA burden in community-dwelling older adults.