Healthy Living
Physical Activity Linked to Reduced Dementia Risk in Seniors
Increased physical activity, including a low amount of light-intensity physical activity (LPA), is associated with a reduced risk for dementia among older adults, according to a study published online Dec. 16 in JAMA Network Open. Minjae Yoon, M.D., from Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, and colleagues conducted a nationwide, retrospective cohort study involving 62,286 participants aged 65 years or older without preexisting dementia who had health checkup data available from January 2009 to December 2012. Physical activity level was assessed, and the association between LPA and dementia was examined. sizable number report stress too. As major holidays and the promise of a new year approach, a new poll of people over 50 shows that most of them are finding joy and staying resilient amid the pandemic. But a sizable minority are feeling a lot of stress – including about their risk of getting COVID-19. Women and those in their 50s and early 60s were more likely to report feeling a lot of stress. Those stress levels were highest – and joy levels lowest – among those who said their overall physical or mental health is fair or poor and those with the lowest incomes. And 27% of people over 50 said that just thinking about leaving their house caused them stress about the possibility of catching the coronavirus, while 58% said thinking about going to a crowded indoor space made them feel stressed for the same reason.
cubic spline curve. Even a low amount of LPA (one to 299 MET-min/week) was associated with reduced dementia risk compared with total sedentary behavior (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.86). "Promotion of LPA might reduce the risk of dementia in older adults," the authors write. One author disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Source: HealthDay News
The researchers found that 3,757 participants (6.0 percent) developed dementia during a median follow-up of 42 months, for an overall incidence of 21.6 per 1,000 person-years. The risk for dementia was reduced for insufficiently active (one to 499 metabolic equivalent [MET]-min/week), active (500 to 999 MET- min/week), and highly active participants (≥1,000 MET-min/week) compared with inactive individuals (0 MET-min/ week), with adjusted hazard ratios of 0.90, 0.80, and 0.72, respectively. With increasing physical activity level, there was a progressive decline observed in the adjusted hazard ratio for dementia; this association started with a low amount of total physical activity in a restricted
Pandemic stress weighs heaviest on least-healthy older adults Poll finds many people over 50 have found joy and stayed resilient amid the prolonged public health crisis, but a
The new findings from the National Poll on Healthy Aging shine a light on which older adults who may need more attention from family, friends and health providers as the pandemic continues. The poll also shows what activities and social connections are bringing joy to the most older people. The poll is based at the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation and supported by AARP and Michigan Medicine, U-M’s academic medical center. The poll authors, who include two researchers from the U-M School of Public Health and Institute for Social Research, call for clear public health messaging about local COVID risk levels for different activities, and about specific steps older adults can take to reduce their risk as the pandemic continues.
“The clear differences in ability to find joy during these times, and in experiences of stress, based on health status, shows the importance of focusing on those in poor health,” said poll report author Lindsay Kobayashi, Ph.D., M.Sc., an assistant professor of epidemiology. “But for all older adults, we know that alterations in daily life impact emotional and mental health, so finding safe ways to enjoy favorite activities is important.” SEE ALSO: Risk of PTSD, anxiety, loneliness after COVID-19 hospitalization The poll was taken before the widespread availability of booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine for older adults. Now that all adults can get a booster shot after a certain time has passed from their original vaccination, added protection (continued on next page)
February 2022, Never Too Late | Page 19
Pima Council on Aging
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