@article {12969, title = {Association between the domestic use of solid cooking fuel and increased prevalence of depression and cognitive impairment in a big developing country: A large-scale population-based study.}, journal = {Frontiers in Public Health}, volume = {10}, year = {2022}, pages = {1038573}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have suggested that air pollution affects physiological and psychological health. Using solid fuel at home is a significant source of indoor air pollution. The associations between solid fuel use and depressive symptoms and cognitive health were unclear among older adults from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

METHODS: To evaluate the association of solid fuel use with depressive symptoms and cognitive health among older adults, we obtained data from the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI) and excluded subjects younger than 60 years and without critical data (solid fuel use, depressive symptoms, and cognitive health). The 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D-10) was used to assess depressive symptoms, with more than ten indicative of depression. Cognitive health was assessed using measures from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), and subjects with the lowest 10th percentile were considered to have cognitive impairment. The participants{\textquoteright} responses defined solid fuel use. Multivariable logistic regression, linear regression, subgroup analysis, and interaction tests were performed to appraise the relationship between solid fuel use and depression and cognitive impairment.

RESULTS: A total of 29,789 participants over 60 years old were involved in this study. Almost half of the participants (47.5\%) reported using solid fuel for home cooking. Compared with clean fuel use, solid fuel use was related to an increased prevalence of depression [odds ratio (OR) 1.09, 95\% CI 1.03-1.16] and higher CES-D-10 scores (β 0.23, 95\% CI 0.12-0.35) after fully adjusted covariables. Using solid fuel was also related to a higher risk of cognitive impairment (OR 1.21, 95\% CI 1.11-1.32) and a lower cognitive score (β -0.63, 95\% CI -0.79 to -0.47) compared with those who used clean fuel. In the subgroup analysis, the prevalence of depression increased in females and non-smokers. The association of solid fuel use with depression and cognitive impairment exists in subgroups of BMI, economic status, caste, living area, education, and drinking.

CONCLUSIONS: The use of solid fuel at home was associated with an increased prevalence of depression and cognitive impairment among older adults in India.

}, keywords = {Aging, Cognitive Dysfunction, Educational Status, Prevalence, Research}, issn = {2296-2565}, doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2022.1038573}, author = {Jin, Yuming and Zhou, Xianghong and Deng, Linghui and Xiong, Xingyu and Li, Yifan and Wei, Qiang and Dong, Birong and Qiu, Shi} } @article {12333, title = {Predictors of who Serves as an Alzheimer{\textquoteright}s Disease Research Participant{\textquoteright}s Study Partner and the Impact of their Relationship on Study Partners{\textquoteright} Reports on Participants.}, journal = {Research on Aging}, volume = {44}, year = {2022}, pages = {734-746}, abstract = {

Alzheimer{\textquoteright}s disease and Alzheimer{\textquoteright}s disease related dementias (AD/ADRD) research typically requires participants to enroll with a "study partner" (SP). Little is known about what predicts who steps into the SP role or whether the SP{\textquoteright}s relationship to the participant affects their reports of disease severity. Health and Retirement Study data (HRS), collected prior to the Aging, Demographics and Memory Study (ADAMS), was used to identify sociocultural factors that predict who serves as a SP in ADAMS. SP-reported outcomes were compared between three types of participant-SP relationships: spousal, adult child, and other. Spouses (35\%) and adult children (39\%) were similarly likely to serve as SPs. Factors predicting who served differed. In multivariable analyses, adult children rated participants less impaired than spouses on measures of memory, judgment, and organizational abilities ( < .05). The participant-SP relationship has independent effects on the SP{\textquoteright}s reports of the severity of cognitive impairments.

}, keywords = {ADAMS, Alzheimer, Dementia, informants, Research, study partners}, issn = {1552-7573}, doi = {10.1177/01640275221075739}, author = {Stites, Shana D and Largent, Emily A and Gill, Jeanine and Gurian, Anna and Harkins, Kristin and Karlawish, Jason} } @article {11717, title = {Midlife Wealth Mobility and Long-term Cardiovascular Health.}, journal = {JAMA Cardiology}, volume = {6}, year = {2021}, pages = {1152-1160}, abstract = {

Importance: The association of socioeconomic status and cardiovascular outcomes has been well described, but little is known about whether longitudinal changes in wealth are associated with cardiovascular health status.

Objective: To evaluate the association between midlife wealth mobility and risk of cardiovascular events.

Design, Setting, and Participants: This longitudinal, retrospective cohort study included US adults 50 years or older who participated in the Health and Retirement Study. Participants in the primary analysis had no history of cardiovascular disease and had observations in at least two of three 5-year age intervals (50-54, 55-59, and 60-64 years) and follow-up after 65 years of age. Data were collected from January 1, 1992, to December 31, 2016, and analyzed from November 10, 2020, to April 26, 2021.

Exposures: Quintiles of wealth (reflecting total nonhousing assets) were defined within each of 4 birth cohorts (1931-1935, 1936-1940, 1941-1945, and 1946-1950). Wealth mobility was defined as an increase or a decrease of 1 or more wealth quintiles and was compared with wealth stability (same quintile over time) using covariate-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression models.

Main Outcomes and Measures: Composite outcome of nonfatal cardiovascular event (myocardial infarction, heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia, or stroke) or cardiovascular death.

Results: A total of 5579 participants were included in the primary analysis (mean [SD] age, 54.2 [2.6] years; 3078 women [55.2\%]). During a mean (SD) follow-up of 16.9 (5.8) years, 1336 participants (24.0\%) experienced a primary end point of nonfatal cardiovascular event or cardiovascular death (14.4 [95\% CI, 13.6-15.2] per 1000 patient-years). Higher initial wealth (per quintile) was associated with lower cardiovascular risk (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] per quintile, 0.89 [95\% CI, 0.84-0.95]; P = .001). When compared with stable wealth, participants who experienced upward wealth mobility (by at least 1 quintile) had independently lower hazards of a subsequent nonfatal cardiovascular event or cardiovascular death (aHR, 0.84 [95\% CI, 0.73-0.97]; P = .02), and participants who experienced downward wealth mobility had higher risks (aHR, 1.15 [95\% CI, 1.00-1.32]; P = .046).

Conclusions and Relevance: These findings suggest that upward wealth mobility relative to peers in late middle age is associated with lower risks of cardiovascular events or death after 65 years of age.

}, keywords = {cardiology, Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Methods, Research, Statistics}, issn = {2380-6591}, doi = {10.1001/jamacardio.2021.2056}, author = {Machado, Sara and Sumarsono, Andrew and Vaduganathan, Muthiah} } @article {9298, title = {Aging research: Collaborations forge a promising future.}, journal = {Journal of the American Geriatric Society}, volume = {65}, year = {2017}, pages = {2441-2445}, abstract = {The National Institute on Aging (NIA), one of 27 institutes and centers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was founded in 1974 to conduct and support research on aging and the health and well-being of older people. The Institute{\textquoteright}s interests span the fundamental processes that contribute to aging and their impact on systems; diseases and conditions for which aging is a risk factor; and interventions that may prevent, delay, or treat these conditions or otherwise contribute to an extension of healthy, active years of life. Multiple fruitful research collaborations within and outside the federal government, spanning the breadth of the Institute{\textquoteright}s research activities, have marked NIA{\textquoteright}s growth over the past 40 years, as well as its current areas of ongoing research. This article discusses several highlights of these collaborations, including the Health and Retirement Study, geroscience research, falls injury prevention in elderly adults, and implementation of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer{\textquoteright}s Disease, from the perspective of past accomplishments and trends for the future.

}, keywords = {Meta-analyses, Research}, issn = {1532-5415}, doi = {10.1111/jgs.15052}, author = {Melinda S Kelley and Marie A. Bernard and Richard J Hodes} } @article {8590, title = {Extracting Response Style Bias From Measures of Positive and Negative Affect in Aging Research.}, journal = {J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci}, volume = {73}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 12 15}, pages = {64-74}, abstract = {

Objectives: This study investigated the role of response style biases in the assessment of positive and negative affect in aging research; it addressed whether response styles (a) are associated with age-related changes in cognitive abilities, (b) lead to distorted conclusions about age differences in affect, and (c) reduce the convergent and predictive validity of affect measures in relation to health outcomes.

Method: A multidimensional item response theory model was used to extract response styles from affect ratings provided by respondents to the psychosocial questionnaire (n = 6,295; aged 50-100 years) in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS).

Results: The likelihood of extreme response styles (disproportionate use of "not at all" and "very much" response categories) increased significantly with age, and this effect was mediated by age-related decreases in HRS cognitive test scores. Removing response styles from affect measures did not alter age patterns in positive and negative affect; however, it consistently enhanced the convergent validity (relationships with concurrent depression and mental health problems) and predictive validity (prospective relationships with hospital visits, physical illness onset) of the affect measures.

Discussion: The results support the importance of detecting and controlling response styles when studying self-reported affect in aging research.

}, keywords = {Affect, Age Factors, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Bias, cognitive aging, Geriatrics, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Models, Psychological, Psychology, Reproducibility of Results, Research, Surveys and Questionnaires}, issn = {1758-5368}, doi = {10.1093/geronb/gbw103}, url = {http://psychsocgerontology.oxfordjournals.org/lookup/doi/10.1093/geronb/gbw103}, author = {Stefan Schneider} } @article {8629, title = {Social Security Research at the Michigan Retirement Research Center}, journal = {Social Security Bulletin}, volume = {69}, year = {2009}, pages = {51-64}, chapter = {51}, abstract = {Social Security has been a topic of widespread discussion in the last decade. Rising longevity and falling fertility have led to an aging population, which increases solvency challenges for the Social Security system. Public concerns over low national saving have led to an extensive dialog on the merits of reform that might change the U.S. system into one with fully or partially funded personal accounts. Meanwhile, pensions in the private sector have been evolving from predominantly defined benefit (DB) to predominantly defined contribution (DC), raising concerns that workers preparing for retirement have more personal responsibility, with more complex financial challenges, than ever before.}, keywords = {Meta-analyses, Older Adults, Research, Social Security}, url = {https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v69n4/v69n4p51.pdf}, author = {R.V. Burkhauser and Alan L Gustman and John Laitner and Olivia S. Mitchell and Amanda Sonnega} }