Transitioning an In-Person Survey of Older Adults to Multimode Data Collection.

Objectives: The first 3 rounds of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) were in-person. Preparing for Round Four (R4), NSHAP began developing ways to collect complex questionnaire and biomeasure data remotely. R4 was scheduled to begin in 2020, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, NSHAP delayed R4 data collection and instead conducted a study on respondents' experiences during the pandemic, as well as pretests to strengthen NSHAP's remote data collection capability.

Which Social Variables Predict Diabetes Onset? Robust Findings in Two National Surveys.

Background And Objectives: The role of social factors in diabetes onset has been obscured by wide variation in their conceptualization and operationalization. We apply 3 theoretical frameworks to categorize social relationship variables along several dimensions and identify which dimension(s) are robustly associated with incident diabetes in the older adult population.

Research Design And Methods: The National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (n = 2,365) and the Health and Retirement Study (n =11,824) provided longitudinal data from 57 to 90-year-old respondents over a 4- to 5-year period.

Prediabetes Progression and Reversion: Social Factors and Racial/Ethnic Differences.

Objective: Racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected by diabetes. Social characteristics, such as family structure, social support, and loneliness, may contribute to these health disparities. In a nationally representative sample of diverse older adults, we evaluated longitudinal rates of both progression from prediabetes to diabetes and reversion from prediabetes to normoglycemia.

Examining the Longitudinal Relationship Between Olfactory Dysfunction and Frailty in Community-Dwelling, older US Adults.

Objective: Olfactory dysfunction is a "canary in the coalmine" for aging conditions. We evaluated olfactory dysfunction as a biomarker of early frailty in older adults living in the United States.

Study Design: Prospective, longitudinal, nationally representative study.

Moderation of associations between weight discrimination and diabetes status by psychosocial factors.

Weight discrimination has adverse effects on health that include increasing the risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes. Preliminary evidence suggests a positive association between weight discrimination and diagnosed diabetes; however, it is unknown whether psychosocial resources may buffer this association. In logistic regressions stratified by gender, we examined links between weight discrimination and diabetes among a nationally representative sample of U.

Olfactory decline develops in parallel with frailty in older US adults with obstructive lung diseases.

Background: Frailty is prevalent among older adults with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (obstructive lung diseases [OLDs]). Frailty and OLD's co-occurrence is associated with increased hospitalization/mortality. Chemosensory dysfunction is closely connected to both OLD and frailty.

Association of Status With Long-term Declines in Odor Sensitivity, Odor Identification, and Cognition in Older US Adults.

Background And Objectives: The ε4 allele confers susceptibility to faster decline in odor identification and subsequently to Alzheimer disease (AD). Odor identification requires recognizing and naming odors and detecting them (odor sensitivity). Whether ε4 is associated with decline of odor sensitivity and whether such decline serves as a harbinger of cognitive decline and AD remains unclear.

Air pollution exposure is associated with rhinitis in older US adults via specific immune mechanisms.

Background: Pathophysiology of rhinitis in older adults is largely unknown. We tested whether air pollution is associated with this condition and how immune mechanisms may play a role in this relationship.

Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, a nationally representative study of older adults born between 1920 and 1947.

Assessing how Age, Sex, Race, and Education Affect the Relationships Between Cognitive Domains and Odor Identification.

Background: The associations between cognitive domains and odor identification are well established, but how sociodemographic variables affect these relationships is less clear.

Purpose: Using the survey-adapted Montreal Cognitive Assessment instrument (MoCA-SA), we assess how age, sex, race, and education shape these relationships.

Methods: We first used cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling to empirically derive distinct cognitive domains from the MoCA-SA as it is unclear whether the MoCA-SA can be disaggregated into cognitive domains.

Androstadienone sensitivity is associated with attention to emotions, social interactions, and sexual behavior in older U.S. adults.

Δ 4,16-androstadien-3-one (androstadienone) is a putative human pheromone often linked to sexual attraction in young adults, although specific associations with sexual behavior are not yet established. Androstadienone also serves a broader social-emotional function beyond the sexual domain, specifically tuning the brain to efficiently process emotional information. Whether these effects persist throughout the lifespan into post-reproductive life is unknown.

Can Digital Communication Protect Against Depression for Older Adults With Hearing and Vision Impairment During COVID-19?

Objectives: During social isolation imposed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, older adults with impaired hearing and vision potentially experienced more communication challenges, increasing their risk for poor mental health. Digital communication (e.g.

Rapid olfactory decline during aging predicts dementia and GMV loss in AD brain regions.

Introduction: Longitudinal multivariable analyses are needed to determine if the rate of olfactory decline during normal cognition predicts subsequent Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnoses and brain dysmorphology.

Methods: Older adults (n = 515) were assessed annually for odor identification, cognitive function and dementia clinical diagnosis (max follow-up 18 years). Regional gray matter volumes (GMV) were quantified (3T MRI) in a cross-sectional subsample (n = 121).

Beyond the Lung: Geriatric Conditions Afflict Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Self-Reported Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Rationale: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) predominantly affects older adults. However, the co-morbid occurrence of geriatric conditions has been understudied.

Objective: Characterize the prevalence of geriatric conditions among community-dwelling U.

Exploring Shared Effects of Multisensory Impairment, Physical Dysfunction, and Cognitive Impairment on Physical Activity: An Observational Study in a National Sample.

Multisensory, physical, and cognitive dysfunction share age-related physiologic disturbances and may have common health effects. We determined whether the effect of multisensory impairment on physical activity (PA) is explained by physical (timed up and go) or cognitive (Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire) dysfunction. A National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project participant subset (n = 507) underwent objective sensory testing in 2005-2006 and wrist accelerometry in 2010-2011.

Olfaction Is Associated With Sexual Motivation and Satisfaction in Older Men and Women.

Background: Sensory function declines with age and may impact sexual function in older adults. Indeed, the sense of smell plays a uniquely strong role in sexual motivation. Therefore, olfactory dysfunction in older adults may be intimately linked to changes in sexual desire and satisfaction.

Sleep-Disordered Breathing Is Associated With Impaired Odor Identification in Older U.S. Adults.

Background: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is a common, underdiagnosed condition in older adults with major health consequences, including disrupted central nervous system functioning. Whether SDB may affect sensory function is unclear. We sought to address this question by comparing 2 forms of olfactory testing which measure peripheral and central olfactory processing.

Olfactory Dysfunction Predicts the Development of Depression in Older US Adults.

Neuroanatomic connections link the olfactory and limbic systems potentially explaining an association between olfactory dysfunction and depression. Some previous studies have demonstrated that olfactory dysfunction is associated with increased depressive symptoms. However, these studies were cross-sectional and unable to establish which develops first.

Odor Sensitivity Versus Odor Identification in Older US Adults: Associations With Cognition, Age, Gender, and Race.

The ability to identify odors predicts morbidity, mortality, and quality of life. It varies by age, gender, and race and is used in the vast majority of survey and clinical literature. However, odor identification relies heavily on cognition.

IL-1Rahigh-IL-4low-IL-13low: A Novel Plasma Cytokine Signature Associated with Olfactory Dysfunction in Older US Adults.

Inflammation has been implicated in physical frailty, but its role in sensory impairment is unclear. Given that olfactory impairment predicts dementia and mortality, determining the role of the immune system in olfactory dysfunction would provide insights mechanisms of neurosensory decline. We analyzed data from the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project, a representative sample of home-dwelling older US adults.

Olfactory dysfunction persists after smoking cessation and signals increased cardiovascular risk.

Background: Olfaction plays a critical role in health and function in older adults, and impaired sense of smell is a strong predictor of morbidity and mortality. Smoking cigarettes causes olfactory impairment, but the mechanism of damage and ability to recover after cessation are unknown. We investigated the relationship between time since quitting and olfactory dysfunction in order to elucidate the mechanism(s) by which smoking damages the olfactory system and to inform patient counseling.

Psychosocial Stress Exposure Disrupts Mammary Gland Development.

Exposure to psychosocial stressors and ensuing stress physiology have been associated with spontaneous invasive mammary tumors in the Sprague-Dawley rat model of human breast cancer. Mammary gland (MG) development is a time when physiologic and environmental exposures influence breast cancer risk. However, the effect of psychosocial stress exposure on MG development remains unknown.

Sensory Dysfunction and Sexuality in the U.S. Population of Older Adults.

Background: The sexual experience is shaped by sensory function; with aging, sensory dysfunction may interfere with sexuality and sexual behavior between partners. Specifically, older adults with age-related sensory dysfunction may have less sexual activity than those with better sensory function. In addition, since sexual desire and attraction rests in part upon sensory function, sensory dysfunction may also be associated with less sexual motivation.

Cognitive Function and its Risk Factors Among Older US Adults Living at Home.

Background: The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) has not been administered to a representative national sample, precluding comparison of patient scores to the general population and for risk factor identification.

Methods: A validated survey-based adaptation of the MoCA (MoCA-SA) was administered to a probability sample of home-dwelling US adults aged 62 to 90, using the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (n=3129), yielding estimates of prevalence in the United States. The association between MoCA-SA scores and sociodemographic and health-related risk factors were determined.

Olfactory Dysfunction Predicts Subsequent Dementia in Older U.S. Adults.

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between olfactory dysfunction and subsequent diagnosis of dementia.

Design: Longitudinal study of a population representative of U.S.