Comparison of adjustment to a temporary or permanent ostomy using the OAI-23.

AIM: The aim of this work was to compare adjustment between those with a new temporary or permanent ostomy in a cohort of Australian adults. METHOD: This is a multicentre, longitudinal observational study. Ostomy adjustment was measured using the Ostomy Adjustment Inventory (OAI-23) at six possible time points ending at 9 months postsurgery or at the time of ostomy closure in those with a temporary stoma. The OAI-23 includes four domains: anger, acceptance, anxious preoccupation and social engagement. RESULTS: Eligibility criteria were met by 1230 patients, with 849 (69%) recruited and consented. Of these, 108 were excluded as their surgery did not result in the formation of an ostomy and a further 41 were excluded due to there being no data on ostomy type (temporary or permanent). This left a study population of 700, of whom 397 had a temporary and 303 a permanent ostomy. Only small differences were observed between the temporary and permanent ostomy groups at most time points within the four OAI-23 domains. There were no statistically significant differences found beyond 2 weeks postdischarge and the differences were of small size. While no difference was found between the groups in the domain of anxious preoccupation, both groups demonstrated an increase in anxious preoccupation over time. Neither group regained their presurgery confidence to attend social engagements. CONCLUSION: We found only minor differences in adjustment in those with a new temporary ostomy compared with a new permanent ostomy. Both groups demonstrated increasing anxious preoccupation and problems with social engagement. This suggests that access to education, training and support should be equitable between these two groups in clinical practice, and needs to incorporate a focus on psychological as well as physical outcomes.

Comparison of Adjustment or Adaptation to the Formation of a Temporary Versus a Permanent Ostomy: A Systematic Review.

PURPOSE: The aim of this systematic review was to review evidence on adjustment or adaptation to an ostomy in persons with a temporary versus permanent ostomy. METHOD: Systematic review. SEARCH STRATEGY: We comprehensively searched the following bibliographic databases: MEDLINE (Ovid SP), EMBASE (Ovid SP), PsycINFO, CINAHL, Joanna Briggs, Scopus, and EThOS and ProQuest dissertations from inception to July 21, 2021. We located 570 studies. Data were extracted into Covidence, and the risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and the Joanna Briggs tool. FINDINGS: Thirty-one studies met inclusion criteria and were included; only 2 assessed adjustment using a validated adjustment tool (Ostomy Adjustment Inventory, OAI-23). One found better adjustment in those with a permanent ostomy at 6 months; the second did not formally test for statistically significant differences between groups. Other included studies assessed aspects of adjustment such as health-related quality of life and psychological symptoms. Findings differed between studies; the majority of studies were deemed at a high risk of bias. CONCLUSIONS: The quality of evidence among studies evaluating adjustment to an ostomy in permanent versus temporary stomas was poor; the majority did not measure adjustment using a validated adjustment instrument. Therefore, differences in the ways those with a temporary ostomy or permanent ostomy adjust or adapt remain largely unknown. IMPLICATIONS: Further high-quality studies are needed that compare adjustment to a temporary or permanent ostomy using a validated instrument. An understanding of differences in adjustment in those with a temporary and permanent ostomy is important for planning how health care services can be better tailored to meet the needs of ostomy patients beyond the initial postoperative period of recovery.

Prevalence of visual impairment in older people living with dementia and its impact: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Visual impairment (VI) and dementia both increase with age, and it is likely that many older people are living with both conditions. This scoping review aims to investigate the prevalence and types of VI among older people living with dementia, and the impact of VI on older people living with dementia and their caregivers. METHODS: This scoping review used Arksey and O'Malley's methodological framework. Studies in any setting involving people living with dementia and some assessment of either VI, eye diseases causing VI or the impact of VI were included. RESULTS: Thirty-six studies were included. Thirty-one studies reported the prevalence of VI in older people living with dementia, while ten studies reported on impacts of VI on people living with dementia. Only one study reported on impacts on caregivers. The prevalence of VI or specific eye diseases among older people living with dementia ranged from 0.2 to 74%. The impacts of VI on older people living with dementia included increased use of hospital services, increased disability and dependency, reduced social engagement, negative emotions, increased abnormal behaviours, loss of hobbies, difficulty in using visual aids or memory aids, and greater Neuropsychiatric Inventory symptoms. And the impacts on caregivers included increased conflict and physical exhaustion. CONCLUSION: VI is common in older people living with dementia and is associated with negative impacts on those with dementia and their caregivers. However, heterogeneity between studies in terms of setting and method for assessing and defining VI make it difficult to compare findings among studies. Further research is needed, particularly assessing the impact on caregivers.

Efficacy, safety, and dose-dependence of the analgesic effects of opioid therapy for people with osteoarthritis: systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of opioids for analgesic therapy for people with osteoarthritis. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised, placebo-controlled trials of opioid therapies for treating the pain of osteoarthritis. The primary outcome was medium term pain relief (six weeks to less than 12 months). Quality of evidence was assessed with GRADE criteria. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, PsycINFO, AMED, and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry; trials published to 31 October 2020. DATA SYNTHESIS: We extracted pain, disability, health-related quality of life, and adverse events data for 36 eligible trials (overall dose range: 10-210 oral morphine milligram equivalents [MME] per day). Continuous pain and disability outcomes were converted to common 0-100-point scales; changes of less than ten points were deemed to be very small effects. Differences in dichotomous outcomes were expressed as risk ratios. Data were pooled for meta-analysis in random effects models. The evidence from 19 trials (8965 participants; dose range, 10-126 MME/day) for very small medium term pain relief (mean difference [MD], -4.59 points; 95% CI, -7.17 to -2.02 points) was low quality, as was that from 16 trials (6882 participants; dose range, 10-126 MME/day) for a very small effect on disability (MD, -4.15 points; 95% CI, -6.94 to -1.35 points). Opioid dose was not statistically significantly associated with either degree of pain relief or incidence of adverse events in a meta-regression analysis. Evidence that opioid therapy increased the risk of adverse events (risk ratio, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.29-1.59) was of very low quality. CONCLUSIONS: Opioid medications may provide very small pain and disability benefits for people with osteoarthritis, but may also increase the risk of adverse events. PROSPERO REGISTRATION: CRD42019142813 (prospective).

Diagnostic accuracy of linked administrative data for dementia diagnosis in community-dwelling older men in Australia.

BACKGROUND: Routinely collected health administrative data can be used to estimate the prevalence or incidence of dementia at a population level but can be inaccurate. This study aimed to examine the accuracy of hospital and death data for diagnosing dementia compared with a clinical diagnosis in community dwelling older men in Australia. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project (CHAMP) in Sydney, Australia. Of the 1705 men aged ≥70 years in the CHAMP study, 1400 had available linked administrative data records from 1 year prior to 1 year post the date of clinical dementia diagnosis. The primary outcome was the accuracy of dementia diagnosis using linked administrative data records compared to clinical dementia diagnosis. The linked data diagnosis was based on hospital and death records for the 1 year pre and post the clinical diagnosis. Clinical dementia diagnosis was a two-stage process with initial screening, followed by clinical assessment for those meeting a validated cut-off. A final clinical diagnosis of dementia based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edition) criteria was reached by a consensus panel. RESULTS: Administrative data identified 28 participants as having dementia, compared to 88 identified through clinical assessment. Administrative data had a sensitivity of 20% (95% CI: 13-30%, 18/88), specificity of 99% (95% CI: 99-100%, 1301/1312), positive predictive value (PPV) of 62% (95% CI: 44-77%), negative predictive value of 95% (95% CI: 94-95%), positive likelihood ratio of 24.4 (95% CI: 11.9-50.0) and negative likelihood ratio of 0.80 (0.72-0.89). CONCLUSIONS: Administrative hospital and death data has limited accuracy for dementia diagnosis with poor sensitivity and PPV. The prevalence of dementia is likely underestimated using hospital and deaths data.

The efficacy and safety of paracetamol for pain relief: an overview of systematic reviews.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of paracetamol as an analgesic medication in a range of painful conditions. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review of systematic reviews of the analgesic effects of paracetamol in randomised, placebo-controlled trials. Conduct of systematic reviews was assessed with AMSTAR-2; confidence in effect estimates (quality of evidence) was assessed with the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews; systematic reviews published 1 January 2010 - 30 April 2020. DATA SYNTHESIS: We extracted pain and adverse events outcomes from 36 systematic reviews that assessed the efficacy of paracetamol in 44 painful conditions. Continuous pain outcomes were expressed as mean differences (MDs; standardised 0-10-point scale); dichotomous outcomes were expressed as risk ratios (RRs). There is high quality evidence that paracetamol provides modest pain relief for people with knee or hip osteoarthritis (MD, -0.3 points; 95% CI, -0.6 to -0.1 points) and after craniotomy (MD, -0.8 points; 95% CI, -1.4 to -0.2 points); there is moderate quality evidence for its efficacy in tension-type headache (pain-free at 2 hours: RR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.1-1.4) and perineal pain soon after childbirth (patients experiencing 50% pain relief: RR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.5-3.8). There is high quality evidence that paracetamol is not effective for relieving acute low back pain (MD, 0.2 points; 95% CI, -0.1 to 0.4 points). Evidence regarding efficacy in other conditions was of low or very low quality. Frequency of adverse events was generally similar for people receiving placebo or paracetamol, except that transient elevation of blood liver enzyme levels was more frequent during repeated administration of paracetamol to patients with spinal pain (RR, 3.8; 95% CI, 1.9-7.4). CONCLUSIONS: For most conditions, evidence regarding the effectiveness of paracetamol is insufficient for drawing firm conclusions. Evidence for its efficacy in four conditions was moderate to strong, and there is strong evidence that paracetamol is not effective for reducing acute low back pain. Investigations that evaluate more typical dosing regimens are required. PROSPERO REGISTRATION: CRD42015029282 (prospective).

Using Lean Six Sigma techniques to improve efficiency in outpatient ophthalmology clinics.

BACKGROUND: Increasing patient numbers, complexity of patient management, and healthcare resource limitations have resulted in prolonged patient wait times, decreased quality of service, and decreased patient satisfaction in many outpatient services worldwide. This study investigated the impact of Lean Six Sigma, a service improvement methodology originally from manufacturing, in reducing patient wait times and increasing service capacity in a publicly-funded, tertiary referral outpatient ophthalmology clinic. METHODS: This quality improvement study compared results from two five-months audits of operational data pre- and post-implementation of Lean Six Sigma. A baseline audit was conducted to determine duration and variability of patient in-clinic time and number of patients seen per clinic session. Staff interviews and a time-in-motion study were conducted to identify issues reducing clinic service efficiency. Solutions were developed to address these root causes including: clinic schedule amendments, creation of dedicated postoperative clinics, and clear documentation templates. A post-implementation audit was conducted, and the results compared with baseline audit data. Significant differences in patient in-clinic time pre- and post-solution implementation were assessed using Mann-Whitney test. Differences in variability of patient in-clinic times were assessed using Brown-Forsythe test. Differences in numbers of patients seen per clinic session were assessed using Student's t-test. RESULTS: During the baseline audit period, 19.4 patients were seen per 240-minute clinic session. Median patient in-clinic time was 131 minutes with an interquartile range of 133 minutes (84-217 minutes, quartile 1- quartile 3). Targeted low/negligible cost solutions were implemented to reduce in-clinic times. During the post-implementation audit period, the number of patients seen per session increased 9% to 21.1 (p = 0.016). There was significant reduction in duration (p < 0.001) and variability (p < 0.001) of patient in-clinic time (median 107 minutes, interquartile range 91 minutes [71-162 minutes]). CONCLUSIONS: Lean Six Sigma techniques may be used to reduce duration and variability of patient in-clinic time and increase service capacity in outpatient ophthalmology clinics without additional resource input.

Contribution of psychosocial factors to socioeconomic inequalities in mortality among older Australian men: a population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Among older people, the extent to which psychosocial factors explain socioeconomic inequalities in mortality is debated. We aimed to investigate the potential mediating effect of psychosocial factors on socioeconomic inequalities in mortality. METHODS: We used data from a prospective population-based cohort (the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project; baseline recruitment in 2005-2007), in Sydney, Australia. The main outcomes were all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Socioeconomic status (SES; educational attainment, occupational position, source of income, housing tenure, and a cumulative SES score) was assessed at baseline. Measures of structural and functional social support, as well as depressive and anxiety symptoms were assessed three times during follow-ups. Associations were quantified using Cox regression. Mediation was calculated using "change-in-estimate method". RESULTS: 1522 men (mean age at baseline: 77·4 ± 5·5 years) were included in the analyses with a mean (SD) follow-up time of 9·0 (3·6) years for all-cause and 8·0 (2·8) years for cause-specific mortality. At baseline, psychosocial measures displayed marked social patterning. Being unmarried, living alone, low social interactions, and elevated depressive symptoms were associated with higher risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. Psychosocial factors explained 35% of SES inequalities in all-cause mortality, 29% in CVD mortality, 12% in cancer mortality, and 39% in non-CVD, non-cancer mortality. CONCLUSION: Psychosocial factors may account for up to one-third of SES inequalities in deaths from all and specific causes (except cancer mortality). Our findings suggest that interventional studies targeting social relationships and/or psychological distress in older men aiming to reduce socioeconomic inequalities in mortality are warranted.

Sex differences in the trajectories of and factors related to extracurricular sport participation and exercise: a cohort study spanning 13 years.

BACKGROUND: Extracurricular sport participation and exercise (ESPE) refers to regular exercise/sport participation in addition to the physical education in school among a school-aged population. Rather than general physical activity, ESPE is typically deliberately initiated and presents an efficient target for interventions. However, compared to physical activity, relatively few studies have investigated sex differences in the development of and factors associated with ESPE using a person-centered approach. This study aimed to examine the latent trajectories of ESPE from childhood to emerging adulthood across sexes, and to identify the associated sex-specific individual (i.e., body mass index, body dissatisfaction, stress, and screen behavior) and parental (i.e., parental exercise and parental screen behavior) factors. METHODS: This study used data from part of the Child and Adolescent Behavior in Long-term Evolution (CABLE) project, which comprised 2072 fourth graders (aged 9 years) in Northern Taiwan followed annually from 2001 to 2013 (13 waves). Repeated-measures latent class analysis was used to identify the trajectories of ESPE for males and females, respectively. Multinomial logistic regression was further used to identify sex-specific factors related to ESPE. RESULTS: Four trajectories of ESPE were identified for males and females. For males, these trajectories were Rarely-to-Never (20%), Often-to-Rarely (32%), Always-to-Never (21%), and Always (27%). For females, these trajectories were Rarely-to-Never (34%), Rarely (23%), Always-to-Rarely (33%), and Always (10%). We observed that the developmental patterns of ESPE varied by sex such that there was an earlier decline in the trajectories of ESPE in females than in males and that, compared with males, fewer females maintained exercise habits in young adulthood. Furthermore, we found several sex-specific factors related to ESPE, namely, stress, BMI, and parental exercise. Body dissatisfaction and individual screen behavior were associated with trajectories of ESPE for both sexes. CONCLUSIONS: We found distinct trajectories of ESPE from childhood to emerging adulthood for both sexes. The trajectories of ESPE for males and females, however, differ in terms of patterns and associated factors. Our findings suggest that efforts to increase ESPE should be initiated early, and may be made more effective by considering sex differences.

Why clinicians overtest: development of a thematic framework.

BACKGROUND: Medical tests provide important information to guide clinical management. Overtesting, however, may cause harm to patients and the healthcare system, including through misdiagnosis, false positives, false negatives and overdiagnosis. Clinicians are ultimately responsible for test requests, and are therefore ideally positioned to prevent overtesting and its unintended consequences. Through this narrative literature review and workshop discussion with experts at the Preventing Overdiagnosis Conference (Sydney, 2019), we aimed to identify and establish a thematic framework of factors that influence clinicians to request non-recommended and unnecessary tests. METHODS: Articles exploring factors affecting clinician test ordering behaviour were identified through a systematic search of MedLine in April 2019, forward and backward citation searches and content experts. Two authors screened abstract titles and abstracts, and two authors screened full text for inclusion. Identified factors were categorised into a preliminary framework which was subsequently presented at the PODC for iterative development. RESULTS: The MedLine search yielded 542 articles; 55 were included. Another 10 articles identified by forward-backward citation and content experts were included, resulting in 65 articles in total. Following small group discussion with workshop participants, a revised thematic framework of factors was developed: "Intrapersonal" - fear of malpractice and litigation; clinician knowledge and understanding; intolerance of uncertainty and risk aversion; cognitive biases and experiences; sense of medical obligation "Interpersonal" - pressure from patients and doctor-patient relationship; pressure from colleagues and medical culture; "Environment/context" - guidelines, protocols and policies; financial incentives and ownership of tests; time constraints, physical vulnerabilities and language barriers; availability and ease of access to tests; pre-emptive testing to facilitate subsequent care; contemporary medical practice and new technology CONCLUSION: This thematic framework may raise awareness of overtesting and prompt clinicians to change their test request behaviour. The development of a scale to assess clinician knowledge, attitudes and practices is planned to allow evaluation of clinician-targeted interventions to reduce overtesting.

Animal-assisted therapy for dementia.

BACKGROUND: Dementia is a chronic condition which progressively affects memory and other cognitive functions, social behaviour, and ability to carry out daily activities. To date, no treatment is clearly effective in preventing progression of the disease, and most treatments are symptomatic, often aiming to improve people's psychological symptoms or behaviours which are challenging for carers. A range of new therapeutic strategies has been evaluated in research, and the use of trained animals in therapy sessions, termed animal-assisted therapy (AAT), is receiving increasing attention. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of animal-assisted therapy for people with dementia. SEARCH METHODS: We searched ALOIS: the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group's Specialised Register on 5 September 2019. ALOIS contains records of clinical trials identified from monthly searches of major healthcare databases, trial registries, and grey literature sources. We also searched MEDLINE (OvidSP), Embase (OvidSP), PsycINFO (OvidSP), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), ISI Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the WHO's trial registry portal. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs), cluster-randomised trials, and randomised cross-over trials that compared AAT versus no AAT, AAT using live animals versus alternatives such as robots or toys, or AAT versus any other active intervention. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We extracted data using the standard methods of Cochrane Dementia. Two review authors independently assessed the eligibility and risk of bias of the retrieved records. We expressed our results using mean difference (MD), standardised mean difference (SMD), and risk ratio (RR) with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) where appropriate. MAIN RESULTS: We included nine RCTs from 10 reports. All nine studies were conducted in Europe and the US. Six studies were parallel-group, individually randomised RCTs; one was a randomised cross-over trial; and two were cluster-RCTs that were possibly related where randomisation took place at the level of the day care and nursing home. We identified two ongoing trials from trial registries. There were three comparisons: AAT versus no AAT (standard care or various non-animal-related activities), AAT using live animals versus robotic animals, and AAT using live animals versus the use of a soft animal toy. The studies evaluated 305 participants with dementia. One study used horses and the remainder used dogs as the therapy animal. The duration of the intervention ranged from six weeks to six months, and the therapy sessions lasted between 10 and 90 minutes each, with a frequency ranging from one session every two weeks to two sessions per week. There was a wide variety of instruments used to measure the outcomes. All studies were at high risk of performance bias and unclear risk of selection bias. Our certainty about the results for all major outcomes was very low to moderate. Comparing AAT versus no AAT, participants who received AAT may be slightly less depressed after the intervention (MD -2.87, 95% CI -5.24 to -0.50; 2 studies, 83 participants; low-certainty evidence), but they did not appear to have improved quality of life (MD 0.45, 95% CI -1.28 to 2.18; 3 studies, 164 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). There were no clear differences in all other major outcomes, including social functioning (MD -0.40, 95% CI -3.41 to 2.61; 1 study, 58 participants; low-certainty evidence), problematic behaviour (SMD -0.34, 95% CI -0.98 to 0.30; 3 studies, 142 participants; very-low-certainty evidence), agitation (SMD -0.39, 95% CI -0.89 to 0.10; 3 studies, 143 participants; very-low-certainty evidence), activities of daily living (MD 4.65, 95% CI -16.05 to 25.35; 1 study, 37 participants; low-certainty evidence), and self-care ability (MD 2.20, 95% CI -1.23 to 5.63; 1 study, 58 participants; low-certainty evidence). There were no data on adverse events. Comparing AAT using live animals versus robotic animals, one study (68 participants) found mixed effects on social function, with longer duration of physical contact but shorter duration of talking in participants who received AAT using live animals versus robotic animals (median: 93 seconds with live versus 28 seconds with robotic for physical contact; 164 seconds with live versus 206 seconds with robotic for talk directed at a person; 263 seconds with live versus 307 seconds with robotic for talk in total). Another study showed no clear differences between groups in behaviour measured using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (MD -6.96, 95% CI -14.58 to 0.66; 78 participants; low-certainty evidence) or quality of life (MD -2.42, 95% CI -5.71 to 0.87; 78 participants; low-certainty evidence). There were no data on the other outcomes. Comparing AAT using live animals versus a soft toy cat, one study (64 participants) evaluated only social functioning, in the form of duration of contact and talking. The data were expressed as median and interquartile ranges. Duration of contact was slightly longer in participants in the AAT group and duration of talking slightly longer in those exposed to the toy cat. This was low-certainty evidence. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: We found low-certainty evidence that AAT may slightly reduce depressive symptoms in people with dementia. We found no clear evidence that AAT affects other outcomes in this population, with our certainty in the evidence ranging from very-low to moderate depending on the outcome. We found no evidence on safety or effects on the animals. Therefore, clear conclusions cannot yet be drawn about the overall benefits and risks of AAT in people with dementia. Further well-conducted RCTs are needed to improve the certainty of the evidence. In view of the difficulty in achieving blinding of participants and personnel in such trials, future RCTs should work on blinding outcome assessors, document allocation methods clearly, and include major patient-important outcomes such as affect, emotional and social functioning, quality of life, adverse events, and outcomes for animals.

Polypharmacy among HIV positive older adults on anti-retroviral therapy attending an urban clinic in Uganda.

BACKGROUND: Polypharmacy has not been investigated in patients living with HIV in developing countries. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of polypharmacy, the factors associated with polypharmacy and whether polypharmacy was associated with adverse effects among older adults on anti-retroviral therapy (ART). METHODS: Cross-sectional study in older adults aged 50 and over on ART attending an outpatient HIV/AIDS care centre in Uganda. Demographic and clinical data collected on number and type of medications plus supplements, possible medication related side-effects, comorbidity, frailty, cognitive impairment, current CD4 count and viral load. RESULTS: Of 411 participants, 63 (15.3, 95% C.I. 11.9, 18.8) had polypharmacy (≥ 4 non- HIV medications). In multivariate analyses, polypharmacy was associated with one or more hospitalisations in the last year (Prevalence Ratio PR = 1.8, 95% C.I. 1.1, 3.1, p = 0.02), prescription by an internist (PR = 3.6, 95% C.I. 1.3, 10.5, p = 0.02) and frailty index scores of 5 to 6 (PR = 10.6, 95% C.I. 1.4, 78, p = 0.02), and 7 or more (PR = 17.4, 95% C.I. 2.4, 126.5, p = 0.005). Polypharmacy was not associated with frequency and severity of possible medication related side effects and falls. CONCLUSION: Polypharmacy is common among older HIV infected patients in sub-Saharan Africa. It's more prevalent among frail people, who have been in hospital in the last year and who have been seen by an internist. We found no evidence that polypharmacy results in any harm but this is worth exploring further.

Diet quality and its implications on the cardio-metabolic, physical and general health of older men: the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project (CHAMP).

The revised Dietary Guideline Index (DGI-2013) scores individuals' diets according to their compliance with the Australian Dietary Guideline (ADG). This cross-sectional study assesses the diet quality of 794 community-dwelling men aged 74 years and older, living in Sydney, Australia participating in the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project; it also examines sociodemographic and lifestyle factors associated with DGI-2013 scores; it studies associations between DGI-2103 scores and the following measures: homoeostasis model assessment - insulin resistance, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, TAG, blood pressure, waist:hip ratio, BMI, number of co-morbidities and medications and frailty status while also accounting for the effect of ethnicity in these relationships. Median DGI-2013 score was 93·7 (54·4, 121·2); most individuals failed to meet recommendations for vegetables, dairy products and alternatives, added sugar, unsaturated fat and SFA, fluid and discretionary foods. Lower education, income, physical activity levels and smoking were associated with low scores. After adjustments for confounders, high DGI-2013 scores were associated with lower HDL-cholesterol, lower waist:hip ratios and lower probability of being frail. Proxies of good health (fewer co-morbidities and medications) were not associated with better compliance to the ADG. However, in participants with a Mediterranean background, low DGI-2013 scores were not generally associated with poorer health. Older men demonstrated poor diet quality as assessed by the DGI-2013, and the association between dietary guidelines and health measures and indices may be influenced by ethnic background.

Swimming and other sporting activities and the rate of falls in older men: longitudinal findings from the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project.

Balance training is the most efficacious exercise to prevent falls. This study examined the associations between common sporting activities and the incidence of falls, and whether lower risks can be attributed to the superior balance of sports participants. We studied a population-based cohort of 1,667 older Australian men (mean age = 76.8 years) in the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project (CHAMP) between 2005 and 2011. Data on incident falls were captured by 12 triannual telephone call cycles per participant and were analyzed using negative binomial regression. The length of follow-up averaged 43.8 months (median, 48 months), during which time 2,662 falls were recorded. In unadjusted models, golfers (n = 160; incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 0.65, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.47, 0.89) and swimmers (n = 88; IRR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.30, 0.71) had significantly lower risks of falling. After adjustment for leisure-time physical activity, walking, lifestyle physical activity score (e.g., chores, gardening), and conventional risk factors for falling, swimming was the only activity that was associated with a protective effect (IRR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.45, 1.00). Swimmers had significantly lower postural sway (ß = -5.23 cm(2), P < 0.05) and shorter time to complete a narrow walk test than men who took part in only lifestyle physical activities. Balance indicators were strong predictors of the incidence of falls. The IRR for swimmers was 0.71 (95% CI: 0.48, 1.06) after adding balance measures to the adjusted model.

Rural-to-urban migration, socio-economic status and cardiovascular diseases risk factors among Bangladeshi adults: A nationwide population based survey.

Background: Rural-to-urban migration is one of the key drivers of urbanization in Bangladesh and may impact on cardiovascular diseases (CVD) risk due to lifestyle changes. This study examined whether CVD risk factors were associated with migration to and duration of urban life, considering socio-economic indicators. Methods: A total of 27,792 participants (18-59 years) from the 2006 Bangladesh cross-sectional Urban Health Survey were included in the analyses of whom 14,167 (M: 7,278; W: 6,889) were non-migrant urban residents and 13,625 (M: 6,413; W: 7,212) were rural-to-urban migrants. Gender-specific prevalence of CVD risk factors were estimated for urban and migrant groups. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to test the association between each CVD risk by education and wealth within each study group and their possible effect modification. An analysis on the rural-to-urban migrant subgroup only was conducted to examine the association between each CVD risk factor and length of urban stay adjusted for demographic and socio-economic indicators. Results: Compared to urban residents, migrants had significantly lower prevalence of overweight/obesity for both genders. Hypertension was higher among urban women while alcohol/illicit drug use was higher among urban men. Mental health disorders were higher among migrants than urban residents for both genders and no difference were noted for diabetes or cigarette smoking prevalence. In both study groups and genders, the risk of overweight/obesity, hypertension and diabetes increased with increasing education and wealth whereas for mental health disorders, alcohol/illicit drug use, cigarette and bidi smoking the reverse was found. Differences in BMI between migrant and urban women were attenuated with increased education levels (p = 0.014 for interaction). Consistent increasing pattern of risk was observed with longer duration of urban stay; in migrant men for obesity (OR = 1.67), smoking (OR = 1.67) and alcohol/illicit drug use (OR = 2.86), and for obesity and mental health disorder among migrant women. Conclusions: Migrants had high proportion of CVD risk factors which were influenced by education, wealth and duration of urban stay.

Considering potential benefits, as well as harms, from the COVID-19 disruption to cancer screening and other healthcare services.

Since 2020, hundreds of thousands of more deaths than expected have been observed across the globe. Amid the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, current research priorities are to control the spread of infection and minimise loss of life. However, there may be future opportunities to learn from the pandemic to build a better healthcare system that delivers maximum health benefits with minimum harm. So far, much research has focused on foregone benefits of healthcare services such as cancer screening during the pandemic. A more balanced approach is to recognise that all healthcare services have potential harms as well as benefits. In this way, we may be able to use pandemic 'natural experiments' to identify cases where a reduction in a healthcare service has not been harmful to the population and some instances where this may have even been beneficial.

Provision of domiciliary dental service to residential aged care facilities: A 3-year descriptive summary.

AIM: This cross-sectional descriptive study described the oral health status and types of domiciliary dental treatment received by residents living in residential care after an oral health assessment (OHAT). METHODS: Twenty-one facilities were recruited where consenting participants received OHAT followed by a referral for further domiciliary dental treatments. Data were captured and stored as Reach-OHT database where 2017-2019 data were analyzed. RESULT: Overall, 88% of residents consented. 69.1% were referred for treatment after completion of OHAT. More than half had one or more caries; 40% showed sign of periodontal disease; a higher proportion of dentate participants had an unsatisfactory level of oral cleanliness. Of those received domiciliary dental treatment, diagnostic and preventive service was the combination most frequently provided. These comprised an average of 71.9% of total treatment provided across the 3-year period. CONCLUSION: This study contributes to the understanding and knowledge around the provision of domiciliary dental services in residential care. A large number of older people in residential care can be assessed and treated through a domiciliary service pathway. As the vast majority of services provided were diagnostic, preventive, and restorative care, the feasibility of utilizing the skillset of the entire dental team should be explored.

Joint predictability of physical frailty/pre-frailty and subjective memory complaints on mortality risk among cognitively unimpaired older adults.

The aim of the present study was to investigate how frailty/pre-frailty in combination with subjective memory complaints predicts all-cause mortality in community dwelling cognitively unimpaired older adults. There were 1904 community-dwelling cognitively unimpaired persons aged 65 years or older who participated in the 2013 Taiwan National Health Interview Survey with a 5-year follow-up. Frailty was determined based on the fatigue, resistance, ambulation, illness, and loss of weight (FRAIL) scale. Two questions ("Do you have difficulties with your memory or attention?" and "Do you have difficulties with your memory only or attention only or both?") were used to screen for subjective memory complaints (SMC). In this study, 11.9% of participants had both frailty/pre-frailty and SMC. A total of 239 deaths were recorded after 9009.5 person-years of follow-up. After adjustment for other factors, compared with participants who were physically robust with no SMC, participants who reported either SMC alone (HR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.60-1.27) or were frail/pre-frail alone (HR = 1.32, 95% CI = 0.90-1.92) had no significantly increased mortality risk. However, coexisting frailty/pre-frailty and SMC was associated with a significantly increased hazard ratio for mortality of 1.48 (95% CI = [1.02-2.16]). Our results highlight the high prevalence of co-occurring frailty/pre-frailty and SMC and that this co-occurrence is associated with an increased risk of mortality among cognitively unimpaired older adults.