The effect of depressive symptoms on quality of life and its different facets in the oldest age population: evidence from the AgeQualiDe prospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: The present study aims to investigate the prospective effect of depressive symptoms on overall QoL in the oldest age group, taking into account its different facets. METHODS: Data were derived from the multicenter prospective AgeCoDe/AgeQualiDe cohort study, including data from follow-up 7-9 and n = 580 individuals 85 years of age and older. Overall QoL and its facets were assessed using the WHOQOL-OLD instrument. The short form of the geriatric depression scale (GDS-15) was applied to assess depressive symptoms. Cognitively impaired individuals were excluded. Linear mixed-effects models were used to assess the effect of depressive symptoms on QoL. RESULTS: Depressive symptoms were significantly associated with overall QoL and each of the different facets of WHOQOL-OLD, also after adjustment for time and sociodemographic characteristics such as age, gender, education, marital status, living situation, and cognitive status. Higher age and single as well as divorced marital status were also associated with a lower QoL. CONCLUSION: This work provides comprehensive longitudinal results on the relationship between depressive symptoms and QoL in the oldest age population. The results underscore the relevance of tailored and targeted care planning and the development of customized interventions.

Social support and health-related quality of life among the oldest old - longitudinal evidence from the multicenter prospective AgeCoDe-AgeQualiDe study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the longitudinal within-association between social support and health-related quality of life among the oldest old. METHODS: Longitudinal data (follow-up waves 7 to 9) were used from the multicenter prospective cohort study "Needs, health service use, costs and health-related quality of life in a large sample of oldest-old primary care patients (85 +)" (AgeQualiDe). n = 648 individuals were included in the analytical sample. At FU wave 7, mean age was 88.8 years (SD: 2.9 years, from 85 to 99 years). Social support was quantified using the Lubben Social Network Scale (6-item version). Health-related quality of life was assessed using the EQ-5D-3L including problems in five health dimensions, and its visual analogue scale (EQ VAS). It was adjusted for several covariates in conditional logistic and linear fixed effects regressions. RESULTS: Intraindividual decreases in social support were associated with an increased likelihood of developing problems in 'self-care', 'usual activities', 'pain/discomfort' and 'anxiety/depression' (within individuals over time). In contrast, intraindividual changes in social support were not associated with intraindividual changes in the EQ VAS score. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate a longitudinal intraindividual association between social support and problems, but only in some health dimensions. Further research in this area based on longitudinal studies among the oldest old (from different countries) is required.

Do oldest old individuals perceive receipt of informal care as a restriction or support of their autonomy?

OBJECTIVES: Autonomy (defined as self-governance; not equivalent to independence) is relevant to well-being and psychological functioning. However, there is a lack of research on individuals aged >85 years and their perception of autonomy when receiving informal care. This study aims to answer the question if and how the receipt of informal care is associated with perceived autonomy of individuals aged over 85 years. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted with data from follow-up 9 of the AgeQualiDe study (2015/2016), which is a multi-centric prospective cohort study in Germany. The analytical sample included 570 participants aged >85 years and with a score of ≥ 19 on the Mini-Mental-State-Examination. Perceived autonomy was assessed with the Perceived Autonomy in Old Age Scale. Receipt of care was assessed as performance of at least one care task (help with basic and instrumental activities of daily living, and supervision) by relatives or friends. Sociodemographic information, mental health, functional level and receipt of professional ambulatory care were controlled for. RESULTS: Unadjusted and adjusted linear regression analyses indicated a significant negative association between receipt of informal care and perceived autonomy. The results remained stable in sensitivity analyses; no significant interaction effect was found for gender or education. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate that informal care recipients aged >85 years perceive lower autonomy compared to those not receiving care. Additional or other forms of support, and improving the care relationship and communication might be considered to support autonomy of care recipients aged >85 years.

Driving status and health-related quality of life among the oldest old: a population-based examination using data from the AgeCoDe-AgeQualiDe prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: It is almost unknown whether the driving status is associated with HRQOL among individuals in highest age. AIMS: Based on a multicenter prospective cohort study, the objective of this study was to examine whether the driving status is associated with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among the oldest old in Germany. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from follow-up wave 9 (n = 544) were derived from the "Study on Needs, health service use, costs and health-related quality of life in a large sample of oldest-old primary care patients (85+)" (AgeQualiDe). Average age was 90.3 years (± 2.7; 86 to 101 years). The current driver status (no; yes) was used in our analysis. The EuroQoL EQ-5D questionnaire was used to assess HRQOL in this study. RESULTS: Regression analysis showed that being a current driver was associated with the absence of problems in 'self-care' [OR 0.41 (95%-CI 0.17 to 0.98)], and 'usual activities' [OR 0.48 (0.26 to 0.90)], whereas it was not significantly associated with problems in 'pain/discomfort' [OR  0.82 (0.47 to 1.45)] and 'anxiety/depression' [OR  0.71 (0.36 to 1.39)]. Being a current driver was marginally significantly associated with the absence of problems in 'mobility' [OR 0.60 (0.34 to 1.06)]. While being a current driver was not associated with the EQ-VAS in the main model, it was positively associated with the driving status (ß = 5.00, p < .05) when functional impairment was removed from the main model. DISCUSSION: Our findings provide first evidence for an association between driving status and HRQOL among the oldest old. CONCLUSIONS: Future longitudinal studies are required to evaluate a possible causal relationship between driving status and HRQOL in very old individuals.

Help-seeking for psychological distress and its association with anxiety in the oldest old - results from the AgeQualiDe cohort study.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine aspects of help-seeking for psychological distress and its association with increased anxiety symptoms in the oldest old.Method: Baseline data from AgeQualiDe, a multicenter cohort study of people aged 85 and over recruited in primary care, were analyzed. Help-seeking for psychological distress (items from the Camberwell Assessment of Need for the Elderly) was analyzed using ordinal and logistic regression models as a function of increased anxiety symptoms (Geriatric Anxiety Inventory-Short Form ≥ 3), as well as relevant socio-demographic and health-related covariates.Results:N = 155 (18.1% of the sample) reported having experienced psychological distress recently and were thus included in the analysis. Among those, 26.5% reported experiencing increased anxiety symptoms. On a descriptive level, 76.8% sought informal, 29.0% sought formal, and 18.1% sought no help for psychological distress. In covariate-adjusted regression models, increased anxiety was significantly associated with increased use of informal support (OR: 2.92, 95% CI: 1.31-6.48), but was neither associated with formal (OR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.26-1.97) nor no help-seeking (OR: 0.28, 95% CI: 0.08-1.05).Conclusion: A large proportion of those experiencing psychological distress sought support from informal sources in this study. Anxiety symptoms in the oldest old were associated with the increased use of informal support, but not formal support or no help-seeking. Training and support for people providing informal help to those with mental health problems should be promoted to reduce a possible burden. However, future research addressing underlying mechanisms is needed.

Which Factors Contribute to Frailty among the Oldest Old? Results of the Multicentre Prospective AgeCoDe and AgeQualiDe Study.

INTRODUCTION: There is a lack of studies investigating the link between time-varying factors associated with changes in frailty scores in very old age longitudinally. This is important because the level of frailty is associated with subsequent morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVE: To examine time-dependent predictors of frailty among the oldest old using a longitudinal approach. METHODS: Longitudinal data were drawn from the multicentre prospective cohort study "Study on Needs, health service use, costs and health-related quality of life in a large sample of oldest-old primary care patients (85+)" (AgeQualiDe), covering primary care patients aged 85 years and over. Three waves were used (from follow-up, FU, wave 7 to FU wave 9 [with 10 months between each wave]; 1,301 observations in the analytical sample). Frailty was assessed using the Canadian Study of Health and Aging (CSHA) Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS). As explanatory variables, we included sociodemographic factors (marital status and age), social isolation as well as health-related variables (depression, dementia, and chronic diseases) in a regression analysis. RESULTS: In total, 18.9% of the individuals were mildly frail, 12.4% of the individuals were moderately frail, and 0.4% of the individuals were severely frail at FU wave 7. Fixed effects regressions revealed that increases in frailty were associated with increases in age (ß = 0.23, p < 0.001), and dementia (ß = 0.84, p < 0.01), as well as increases in chronic conditions (ß = 0.03, p = 0.058). CONCLUSION: The study findings particularly emphasize the importance of changes in age, probably chronic conditions as well as dementia for frailty. Future research is required to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Furthermore, future longitudinal studies based on panel regression models are required to confirm our findings.

Correlates of hospitalization among the oldest old: results of the AgeCoDe-AgeQualiDe prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Hospitalization is a key driver of health care costs. Thus far, there are only a few longitudinal studies investigating whether changes in explanatory variables lead to hospitalization. Moreover, these longitudinal studies did not focus on individuals in highest age. AIM: The purpose of the current study was to examine the correlates of hospitalization among the oldest old in Germany longitudinally. METHODS: A multicenter prospective cohort study ["Study on Needs, health service use, costs and health-related quality of life in a large sample of oldest-old primary care patients (85+)", AgeQualiDe]. Primary care patients ≥ 85 years took part [n = 861 at follow-up (FU) 7, average age of 89.0 years; 85-100 years]. Two waves were used. Hospitalization in the last 6 months was used as outcome measure. Well-established scales were used to quantify the independent variables such as Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale, Global Deterioration Scale or Geriatric Depression Scale. RESULTS: Logistic random effects regressions showed that the probability of hospitalization in the preceding 6 months significantly increased with increases in the social network, more depressive symptoms, functional decline, and increase in chronic conditions, whereas it was not significantly associated with age, sex, marital status, education, and cognitive impairment. Social networks moderate the relationship between functional decline and hospitalization. DISCUSSION: The results of the present longitudinal study emphasize the association of depressive symptoms, functional decline, more social networks, and chronic conditions with hospitalization among the oldest old. CONCLUSIONS: Treatments with the aim to reduce or postpone these factors might also help to reduce hospitalization.

Frequent attendance in primary care in the oldest old: evidence from the AgeCoDe-AgeQualiDe study.

BACKGROUND: There are very few studies examining the determinants of frequent attendance in primary care among the oldest old. AIMS: The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of frequent attendance among individuals aged 85 years or older. METHODS: Cross-sectional data stem from the multicenter prospective cohort "Study on needs, health service use, costs and health-related quality of life in a large sample of oldest old primary care patients (85 +)" (AgeQualiDe). This study covers very old primary care patients (n = 861, mean age of 89.0 years ± 2.9; 85-100 years). The number of self-reported GP visits in the preceding 3 months was used to quantify frequent attenders. We defined patients in the top decile as frequent attenders. RESULTS: Multiple logistic regressions showed that frequent attendance was associated with more chronic diseases (adjusted OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.01-1.23), worse functioning (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.95-0.99), worries about one's financial situation (OR 2.20, 95% CI 1.07-4.53) and it was inversely associated with depression (OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.08-0.80). DISCUSSION: In contrast to studies based on younger samples, different factors were associated with frequent users in our study, showing that it is important to study the determinants of frequent attendance among the oldest old. CONCLUSION: In Germany, among the group of the oldest old, frequent attendance was positively associated with worse physical health status (e.g., number of chronic diseases), but negatively with depression. This might indicate that the German health care system is responsive to the physical, but not psychological needs of the oldest old.

Association of anxiety symptoms with health care use and costs in people aged 85 and over.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association of anxiety symptoms with health care use and costs in people aged 85 and older. METHODS: Baseline data from AgeQualiDe (N = 856), a multicenter prospective cohort study of primary care patients aged 85 and older, were analyzed. Anxiety symptoms (Geriatric Anxiety Inventory-Short Form) and health care use were assessed via questionnaires. Health care use was monetarily valued using German unit costs to obtain sectoral (inpatient, outpatient, nursing care, medical supplies, and medication) and total costs. Health care use and costs were analyzed in regression models as a function of anxiety symptoms, as well as relevant covariates (predisposing, enabling, and other need characteristics based on the Behavioral Model of Health Care Use). RESULTS: On a descriptive level, people with increased anxiety symptoms (12% of the sample) incurred on average € 10 909 (SD: 16 023) in the last 6 months, 31% more than those without increased anxiety (€ 8303, SD: 11 175; P = 0.12). Adjusting for predisposing, enabling, and other need characteristics, anxiety symptoms were not significantly associated with health care use or costs. Specifically, need characteristics (morbidity, cognitive decline, and functional impairment) were associated with total or sectoral costs, depending on the cost category analyzed. CONCLUSION: In a sample of people of the oldest-old age group, the severity of anxiety symptoms was not associated with health care use or costs, when adjusting for relevant covariates. A longitudinal analysis could assess whether a change in anxiety symptom severity is associated with health care use or costs in old age.

Impact of falls on depressive symptoms among the oldest old: Results from the AgeQualiDe study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of falls on depressive symptoms among the oldest old in Germany longitudinally. METHODS: Data were used from 2 waves of the multicenter prospective cohort "Study on needs, health service use, costs and health-related quality of life in a large sample of oldest-old primary care patients (85+)" (AgeQualiDe). This study covers primary care patients ≥85 years (at baseline: n = 547, average age of 88.9 ± 3.0 years; ranging from 85 to 100 years). General practitioner-diagnosed falls were used as explanatory variable. The Geriatric Depression Scale was used as outcome measure. RESULTS: Linear fixed effects regressions showed that the occurrence of falls is associated with an increase in depressive symptoms (ß = .60, P = .02), whereas changes in marital status, ageing, social support, functional decline (instrumental activity of daily living), cognitive impairment, and an increase in chronic diseases did not affect depressive symptoms. In sensitivity analysis, an increase in depressive symptoms was associated with functional impairment (basic activities of daily living; Barthel index; ß = -.04, P = .005). CONCLUSIONS: Based on a large, population-based longitudinal study, this study underlined the impact of falls on depressive symptoms and consequently extended previous knowledge about an association between falls and depressive symptoms in the oldest old. Developing strategies to prevent falls might also help to prevent depressive symptoms.

Prevalence of pain and its associated factors among the oldest-olds in different care settings - results of the AgeQualiDe study.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of pain is very common in the oldest age group. Managing pain successfully is a key topic in primary care, especially within the ageing population. Different care settings might have an impact on the prevalence of pain and everyday life. METHODS: Participants from the German longitudinal cohort study on Needs, Health Service Use, Costs and Health-related Quality of Life in a large Sample of Oldest-old Primary Care Patients (85+) (AgeQualiDe) were asked to rate their severity of pain as well as the impairment with daily activities. Besides gender, age, education, BMI and use of analgesics we focused on the current housing situation and on cognitive state. Associations of the dependent measures were tested using four ordinal logistic regression models. Model 1 and 4 consisted of the overall sample, model 2 and 3 were divided according to no cognitive impairment (NCI) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). RESULTS: Results show a decline in pain at very old age but nonetheless a high prevalence among the 85+ year olds. Sixty-three per cent of the participants report mild to severe pain and 69% of the participants mild to extreme impairment due to pain with daily activities. Use of analgesics, depression and living at home with care support are significantly associated with higher and male gender with lower pain ratings. CONCLUSIONS: Sufficient pain management among the oldest age group is inevitable. Outpatient care settings are at risk of overlooking pain. Therefore focus should be set on pain management in these settings.

Unmet Care Needs in the Oldest Old Primary Care Patients with Cognitive Disorders: Results of the AgeCoDe and AgeQualiDe Study.

BACKGROUND: In the future, an increase in health care needs in the elderly is expected. Reports on unmet care needs of the oldest old with cognitive disorders are pending. This study aims at exploring unmet needs in the oldest old primary care patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. Furthermore, the association between sociodemographic and clinical factors and unmet needs ought to be analyzed. METHODS: Based on the study "Needs, Health Service Use, Costs and Health-Related Quality of Life in a Large Sample of Oldest-Old Primary Care Patients (85+)" (AgeQualiDe), 749 patients (unimpaired, MCI, and dementia) aged 85 years and older, their relatives (n = 421), and general practitioners (GPs) (n = 607) were assessed. Descriptive, inferential, and regression analyses were run. RESULTS: Most unmet needs were observed in dementia patients, although needs were less frequently rated as unmet by dementia patients themselves as compared to relatives and GPs. Unmet needs were associated with MCI and dementia; other risk factors were age, education, and marital status. CONCLUSION: This study provides first data on unmet needs according to different perceptions in the elderly with MCI and dementia in Germany. Need assessments should be part of medical examinations to ensure a high-quality health care in the elderly.

Disentangling the complex relation of disability and depressive symptoms in old age - findings of a multicenter prospective cohort study in Germany.

BACKGROUND: Most of the previous studies attempted to disentangle the relationship between disability and depressive symptoms were limited to observation periods of only few years. Moreover, evidence is missing regarding the complex co-occurrence of disability and depressive symptoms in old age in Germany. In order to close the research gap, we aimed at disentangling the complex co-occurrence of disability and depressive symptoms in old age in Germany over a longer time frame. METHODS: Based on data from a representative survey of the German general population aged 75 years and older, the course of disability as well as depressive symptoms was observed every 1.5 years over six waves. While disability was quantified by the Lawton and Brody Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scale, the Geriatric Depression Scale was used to measure depressive symptoms. Taking into account the complex co-occurrence of depressive symptoms and disability, a panel vector autoregressive model was used. By taking the first differences, unobserved heterogeneity was taken into account. RESULTS: In the total sample and in both sexes, we revealed a robust positive association between an initial change in depressive symptoms and subsequent changes in disability. No robust association between an initial change in disability and a subsequent change in depressive symptoms was detected. CONCLUSION: Our findings highlight the importance of changes in depressive symptoms for future changes in disability in old age.

Subjective cognitive decline is longitudinally associated with lower health-related quality of life.

BACKGROUND: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD), the potentially earliest notable manifestation of preclinical Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, was consistently associated with lower quality of life in cross-sectional studies. The aim of this study was to investigate whether such an association persists longitudinally - particularly with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in older individuals without cognitive impairment. METHODS: Data were derived from follow-up 2-6 of the prospective Germany Study on Ageing, Cognition and Dementia in Primary Care (AgeCoDe) covering a total six-year observation period. We used linear mixed effects models to estimate the effect of SCD on HRQoL measured by the EQ-5D visual analogue scale (EQ VAS). RESULTS: Of 1,387 cognitively unimpaired individuals aged 82.2 years (SD = 3.2) on average, 702 (50.6%) reported SCD and 230 (16.6%) with SCD-related concerns. Effect estimates of the linear mixed effects models revealed lower HRQoL in individuals with SCD (unadjusted: -3.7 points on the EQ VAS, 95%CI = -5.3 to -2.1; SE = 0.8; p < 0.001; adjusted: -2.9 points, 95%CI = -3.9 to -1.9; SE = 0.5; p < 0.001) than in individuals without SCD. The effect was most pronounced in SCD with related concerns (unadjusted: -5.4, 95%CI = -7.6 to -3.2; SE = 1.1; p < 0.001; adjusted: -4.3, 95%CI = -5.8 to -2.9, SE = 0.7; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: SCD constitutes a serious issue to older cognitively unimpaired individuals that is depicted in persisting lower levels of HRQoL beyond depressive symptoms and functional impairment. Therefore, SCD should be taken seriously in clinical practice.

Which types of mental work demands may be associated with reduced risk of dementia?

INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have demonstrated that an overall high level of mental work demands decreased dementia risk. In our study, we investigated whether this effect is driven by specific mental work demands and whether it is exposure dependent. METHODS: Patients aged 75+ years were recruited from general practitioners and participated in up to seven assessment waves (every 1.5 years) of the longitudinal AgeCoDe study. Analyses of the impact of specific mental work demands on dementia risk were carried out via multivariate regression modeling (n = 2315). RESULTS: We observed a significantly lower dementia risk in individuals with a higher level of "information processing" (HR, 0.888), "pattern detection" (HR, 0.878), "mathematics" (HR, 0.878), and "creativity" (HR, 0.878). Yet, exposure-dependent effects were only significant for "information processing" and "pattern detection." DISCUSSION: Our longitudinal observations suggest that dementia risk may be reduced by some but not all types of mental work demands.

Gender differences in the effect of social support on health-related quality of life: results of a population-based prospective cohort study in old age in Germany.

PURPOSE: The causality between social predictors and HRQoL in old age remains almost unclear as only a few studies have examined the influence of social support on HRQoL in a longitudinal setting. Moreover, available studies investigating gender differences in the effect of social support on HRQoL in old age have been solely cross-sectional. Consequently, the aim of this study was to examine whether social support affects health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in old age and whether this effect is moderated by gender. METHODS: In a population-based cohort (N = 2443) of people aged 75 years and older in Germany, the development of HRQoL was prospectively observed over a 3-year period. Quality of life was quantified by using the visual analogue scale of the EQ-5D instrument. Social support was assessed by using the 14-item form of the questionnaire for social support (F-SozU K-14). In order to control for unobserved heterogeneity, fixed-effects regression analysis was used. RESULTS: In the total sample (ß = 0.55, p < 0.05) and in men (ß = 1.39, p < 0.001), a strong positive impact of social support on HRQoL was found. There was no significant effect of social support on HRQoL in women. The effect of social support on HRQoL was significantly moderated by gender (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Findings accentuate the fundamental role of social support in HRQoL in old age. Particularly in men, it is therefore crucial to strengthen the social ties in old age.

Longitudinal predictors of informal and formal caregiving time in community-dwelling dementia patients.

PURPOSE: Care provided in the community for dementia patients on an individual basis may be very time consuming. Yet, little is known about the factors affecting caregiving time for community-dwelling dementia patients. Thus, we aimed to investigate the predictors of informal and formal caregiving time for these patients in a longitudinal approach. METHOD: Caregiving time for n = 126 community-dwelling dementia patients was assessed by proxy interviews in four assessments at 6-month intervals (1.5 years of longitudinal follow-up; AgeCoDe study). Measurement of informal caregiving time was based on a German adaptation of the Resource Utilization in Dementia questionnaire. Dementia severity was measured by the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR). We used random effects models to estimate the effects of sociodemographic variables (age, gender, marital status and education), comorbidity and dementia severity on informal and formal caregiving time. RESULTS: At the first assessment, mean age was 85.0 years (±3.2 years). The majority of patients was female (65.9 %), not married (divorced, single, widowed: 55.6 %) and had primary education (63.5 %). Furthermore, mean GDS was 4.4 (±0.8) and mean MMSE was 20.1 (±5.1). According to CDR, 43 individuals had very mild dementia, 55 individuals had mild dementia and 28 individuals had moderate/severe dementia. Moreover, mean total caregiving time was 3.4 h per day (±4.0). Thereof the main part represents informal caregiving time (2.3 h ± 3.4), whereas formal caregiving time was 1.2 h (±2.4). Dementia severity was associated with total caregiving time, mainly influenced by informal caregiving time. Age was positively associated with total caregiving time, driven by formal caregiving time, while being married was positively associated with total caregiving time, mainly affected by informal caregiving time. All need categories of informal caregiving time were strongly related to dementia severity, whereas none of the categories of formal caregiving time were related to dementia severity. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings extend previous studies that found an association between informal caregiving time and dementia severity. Moreover, our findings highlight the role of informal care for community-dwelling dementia patients in Germany. Informal caregiving time strongly increases with dementia severity. Consequently, as the number of patients suffering from dementia is expected to increase considerably in the next decades, there is a paramount need to strengthen the informal care system to meet patients' needs.

Complex coevolution of depression and health-related quality of life in old age.

PURPOSE: To investigate the coevolution of depression and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in old age. METHODS: In a representative survey of the German general population aged 75 years and older, the course of HRQoL and depression was observed over 4.5 years (3 waves). HRQoL was assessed by the Visual Analogue Scale (EQ VAS) of the EQ-5D instrument, while the Geriatric Depression Scale was used to measure depression. A panel vector autoregressive model was used to account for the complex coevolution of depression and HRQoL. Unobserved heterogeneity was taken into account by taking the first differences. RESULTS: We revealed a robust negative association between an initial change in HRQoL and a subsequent change in depression score, with substantial sex differences: In women there was a robust association, while in men the significance of this association depended on the model specification. Surprisingly, in the total sample and in both sexes, no robust association between an initial increase in depression and a subsequent change in HRQoL was found. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate that the direction of evolution from HRQoL to depression deserves more attention. Furthermore, treatment of depression in late life should aim at improving HRQoL in which remission of depressive symptoms is necessary but not sufficient.

Prevalence and determinants of overweight and obesity in old age in Germany.

BACKGROUND: Mean body weight gradually increases with age. Yet, little data exists on the prevalence of excess weight in populations aged 80 years or older. Moreover, little is known about predictors of overweight and obesity in old age. Thus, the purpose of this study was: To present data on the prevalence of excess weight in old age in Germany, to investigate predictors of excess weight in a cross-sectional approach and to examine factors affecting excess weight in a longitudinal approach. METHODS: Subjects consisted of 1,882 individuals aged 79 years or older. The course of excess weight was observed over 3 years. Excess weight was defined as follows: Overweight (25 kg/m(2) ≤ BMI < 30 kg/m(2)) and obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2)). We used fixed effects regressions to estimate effects of time dependent variables on BMI, and overweight or obesity, respectively. RESULTS: The majority was overweight (40.0%) or obese (13.7%). Cross-sectional regressions revealed that BMI was positively associated with younger age, severe walking impairments and negatively associated with cognitive impairments. Excess weight was positively associated with younger age, elementary education, walking impairments and physical inactivity, while excess weight was negatively associated with cognitive impairment. Longitudinal regressions showed that age and severely impaired walking disabilities reduced BMI. The probability of transitions to excess weight decreased considerably with older age and occurrence of severe walking impairments (overweight). CONCLUSIONS: Marked differences between predictors in cross- and longitudinal setting exist, underlining the complex nature of excess weight in old age.