Body mass index and trajectories of muscle strength and physical function over time in Mexican American older adults: Sex differences.

Background And Aims: Worldwide, the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased. We examined sex-specific patterns in the relationship of body mass index (BMI) with muscle strength and physical function among older Mexican Americans over time.

Methods And Results: Participants (N = 1975) aged ≥65 years (mean = 72.

Diabetes and Hospitalizations Among Mexican Americans Aged 75 Years and Older.

Objective: To examine factors associated with hospitalization among Mexican Americans aged 75 years and older with diabetes (with and without complications) and without diabetes over 12 years of follow up.

Methods: Participants (N = 1454) were from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (2004/2005-2016) residing in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. Measures included socio-demographics, medical conditions, falls, depressive symptoms, cognitive function, disability, physician visits, and hospitalizations.

The role of dynapenia and obesity on cognitive function in older adults.

Background & Aims: Dynapenia and obesity have been independently associated with cognitive decline in older adults, but their co-occurring effects has not been well-studied. The study objective is to examine the relationship between dynapenic-obesity and cognitive impairment in older adults 75 years and older with normal or high cognitive function at baseline over 12 years of follow-up. We hypothesize that those with dynapenic obesity will have greater odds of cognitive function impairment than those with dynapenia only, obesity only, or no dynapenia no obesity (reference group).

Collective Weakness and Fluidity in Weakness Status Associated With Basic Self-Care Limitations in Older Americans.

Aims: To examine the associations of 1) absolute and normalized weakness cut-points, 2) collective weakness categories, and 3) changes in weakness status on future activities of daily living (ADL) limitations in older Americans.

Methods: The analytic sample included 11,656 participants aged ≥65-years from the 2006-2018 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. ADL were self-reported.

Cardiovascular Disease, Depressive Symptoms, and Heart Failure in Mexican American Aged 75 Years and Older During 12 Years of Follow Up.

Objective: To examine the relationship of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and high depressive symptoms (HDS) with heart failure (HF) among Mexican American older adults without HF at baseline over 12-years of follow-up.

Methods: A 12-year prospective cohort study of 1,018 Mexicans Americans aged 75 and older from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (2004-2016). Measures included socio-demographics, CVD (heart attack or stroke), HDS, smoking status, body mass index, cognitive function, and HF.

Walking Activity and Physical Function Among Mexican American Older Adults Over 9 Years of Follow Up.

Background: Walking activity has been associated with reduction in the development of chronic disease, cognitive and physical function impairment, disability, and mortality. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between walking activity and physical function over 9 years of follow-up among Mexican Americans aged 78 years and older.

Methods: Participants (N = 998) were from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (2007-2016).

Vision Impairment and Frailty Among Mexican American Older Adults: A Longitudinal Study.

We examined the relationship between vision impairment (VI) and new-onset frailty among non-frail Mexican American older adults (≥70 years) at baseline and determined the differential impact of VI on each frailty criteria. Data were from an 18-year prospective cohort from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (1998/1999, = 1072 to 2016, = 175). Frailty was defined as ≥3 criteria: unintentional weight loss of >10 pounds, weakness, exhaustion, low physical activity, and slowness.

Metabolic syndrome and arthritis among Mexican American older adults: findings from a 23-year follow-up.

Purpose: To examine the sex differences in the relationship of metabolic syndrome (MetS) criteria with arthritis and symptomatic arthritis among Mexican American older adults aged ≥ 65 without self-reported arthritis at baseline over 23-years of follow-up.

Methods: Participants (N = 1447) were from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (1993/94-2016). Measures included MetS criteria, arthritis defined as self-reported physician-diagnosed arthritis, socio-demographics, morbidities, depressive symptoms, pain on weight-bearing, cognitive and physical function, handgrip strength, mobility, and activities of daily living (ADLs) limitations.

Liver disease, heart failure, and 13-year mortality among Mexican American older adults: Nativity differences.

Purpose: To examine nativity differences of co-occurring liver disease (LD) and heart failure (HF) on 13-year mortality among Mexican American older adults.

Methods: Prospective cohort study of 1601 Mexican Americans aged ≥ 75 years from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (2004/05-2016). Participants were grouped into four groups: no LD and no HF (n = 1138), LD only (n = 53), HF only (n = 382), and both LD and HF (n = 28).

Diabetes Complications and Pain Among Mexican Americans Aged 80 and Older.

Background And Objectives: Diabetes is common among Hispanic older adults; however, the association between diabetic complications and pain has not been widely studied in this population. Our objective was to examine the association between diabetes complications and pain over 6 years among Mexican Americans aged 80 years and older.

Research Design And Methods: We used data from Waves 7 to 9 (2010-2016) of the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly ( = 853).

Pain and incident cognitive impairment in very old Mexican American adults.

Background: Studies have investigated the association between pain and cognitive impairment among older adults, but the findings are mixed. We assessed the relationship of activity-limiting pain (pain interference) with incident cognitive impairment and the mediating effect of depressive symptoms among Mexican American adults aged ≥80.

Methods: Data were taken from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly (2010-2016).

Life-space mobility and post-hospitalization outcomes among older Mexican American Medicare beneficiaries.

Background: Older adults with limited mobility are at an increased risk of adverse health outcomes, an outcome inadequately investigated in older Mexican Americans. We explored whether pre-admission life-space mobility predicts post-hospitalization outcomes among hospitalized Mexican American Medicare beneficiaries.

Methods: Life-space mobility, using the Life-Space Assessment (LSA), was analyzed using quartiles and 5-point intervals.

Nativity differences in the relationship between handgrip strength and cognitive impairment in older Mexican Americans over 20 years of follow-up.

Purpose: To examine nativity differences in the relationship between handgrip strength (HGS) and cognitive impairment among Mexican Americans aged ≥ 65 years with normal or high cognitive function at baseline over a 20-year period.

Methods: Prospective cohort study of 2,155 non-institutionalized Mexican Americans aged ≥ 65 years from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly) who scored ≥ 21 in the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) at baseline. Measures included socio-demographics, body mass index, medical conditions, depressive symptoms, physical function, disability, HGS quartiles (sex-adjusted), and MMSE.

Hospitalizations and Emergency Room Admissions by Mexican American Older Adults with and without Dementia and Caregiver Mental Health.

Background: Evidence from predominately non-Hispanic White populations indicates that emergency room (ER) admissions and hospitalizations by older adults with and without dementia are associated with caregiver stress and depressive symptoms. These results may not generalize to Hispanic populations because of cultural differences in caregiving roles, responsibilities, and perspectives about care burden.

Objective: Investigate the association between ER admissions and hospitalizations by Mexican American older adults with and without dementia and symptoms of depression and stress among family caregivers.

Body mass index and physical frailty among older Mexican Americans: Findings from an 18-year follow up.

Purposes: The relationship between body mass index (BMI) and frailty in older Mexican Americans has not been previously studied. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between BMI and frailty among non-frail older Mexican Americans at baseline over 18 years of follow up.

Methods: Longitudinal population-based study of 1,648 non-institutionalized Mexican Americans aged ≥ 67 years from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (1995/96-2012/13).

Relationship Between Diabetes-Related Complications and Sleep Complaints in Older Mexican Americans.

Introduction/objective: The prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is increasing in the older American population, especially Mexican Americans. Sleep disorders are common in older adults with T2DM. This study examined the relationship between T2DM-related complications and sleep complaints in older Mexican Americans over 9 years of follow-up.

Factors Associated With Urgency Urinary Incontinence Among Older Mexican American Women Aged 65 years and Older.

The purpose of this study was to determine which socio-demographic, clinical, or functional factors are associated with urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) over 20-years of follow-up in a community-dwelling sample of Mexican American women aged 65 years and older without UUI at baseline. We included 1,358 women participants from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly study conducted in the southwestern of US (Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas). Measures included self-reported UUI, socio-demographics, smoking status, body mass index, medical conditions, depressive symptoms, physical and cognitive function, and handgrip strength.

Liver Disease Among Mexican Americans Aged 67 Years and Older.

Background: The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that liver disease is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the US, afflicting 4.5 million people in 2018, or approximately 1.7% of the American adult population.

Characteristics Associated With Mexican-American Hospice Use: Retrospective Cohort Study Using the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (H-EPESE).

Background: Hospice use is lower among ethnic/racial minorities in the United States, though little is known about trends, associated factors and duration of hospice use by Mexican-Americans.

Aim: The purpose of this study is to examine Mexican-American characteristics associated with hospice stay, both ≤ and > 7 days.

Design: This retrospective cohort study used data from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly (H-EPESE) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Multimorbidity Is Associated With Pain Over 6 Years Among Community-Dwelling Mexican Americans Aged 80 and Older.

Introduction: Multimorbidity, the co-occurrence of two or more chronic conditions, is common among older adults and is associated with decreased quality of life, greater disability, and increased mortality. Yet, the association of multimorbidity with pain, another significant contributor to decreased quality of life, has not been widely studied. This is especially understudied among very old (aged ≥ 80) Mexican Americans, a fast-growing segment of the United States (US) population.

Pain, obesity, and physical function in Mexican American older adults during 20 years of follow-up.

Introduction: Pain remains largely undertreated in older adults irrespective of health care setting. Mexican American adults in the United States have a high age-adjusted prevalence of obesity. However, the association of pain and obesity with physical function is understudied in this population.

Cognitive impairment and low physical function among older Mexican Americans: findings from a 20-year follow-up.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to examine the association between cognitive impairment and low physical function over a 20-year follow-up period among older Mexican Americans.

Methods: The final sample included 1545 community-dwelling Mexican Americans age ≥ 65 years from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly, who scored moderate-high on Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and were non-disabled at baseline (1993/94). Cognitive impairment was defined at each observation wave as less than equal to 21 points on the Mini Mental State Examination.

Body mass index and 12-year mortality among older Mexican Americans aged 75 years and older.

Background: The role of obesity in mortality in the very old and old-oldest Hispanic population has not been studied. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of body mass index (BMI) on 12-year mortality among older Mexican Americans aged 75 years and older.

Methods: Twelve year prospective cohort study consisting of a population-based sample of 1415 non-institutionalized Mexican American men and women aged 75 and older from 5 southwestern states: Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas.

Impact of demographic, clinical, and treatment compliance characteristics on quality of life of Venezuelan patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Background: We have here assessed the impact of demographic, clinical, and treatment compliance characteristics on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of Venezuelan patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We have used a disease-specific questionnaire, the Lupus Quality of Life (LupusQoL), validated in our patient population, to measure HRQoL.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 100 patients with SLE from outpatient clinics.