Mindfulness Awareness Is Associated With a Lower Risk of Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults With Neurocognitive Disorders.

Background: Apart from depressive disorders, there are great interests in adopting mindfulness based interventions (MBIs) for other mental health conditions. Depression and anxiety are common in people with neurocognitive disorders (NCD). The potential of MBIs as an adjuvant treatment in this cognitively at-risk group should be further explored. Objectives: The current study explored the association between depression and anxiety symptoms with dispositional mindfulness in older adults, and if same association stays in the context of cognitive impairment. Methods: The Hong Kong Mental Morbidity Survey for Older People (MMSOP) is an ongoing epidemiology study of the prevalence of neurocognitive and mental disorders in adults aged 60 years or over in Hong Kong. MMSOP evaluated cognitive function, psychiatric symptoms (Clinical Interview Schedule-revised, CIS-R), chronic physical disease burden, psychosocial support, and resilience factors, including dispositional mindfulness as measured by the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). We analyzed the impact of MAAS on CIS-R and potential moderation effects of mindfulness. Results: In March 2021, 1,218 community dwelling participants completed assessments. The mean age of the sample is 69.0 (SD 6.9) years. Eight hundred and two participants (65.7%) were not demented (CDR 0) and 391 (32%) and 25 (2%) were categorized as having mild NCD (CDR 0.5) and major NCD (CDR 1 or more), respectively. One hundred forty-three (11.7%) satisfied ICD-10 criteria for anxiety or depressive disorder as measured by CIS-R. Linear regression analysis showed that female gender, CIRS, and MAAS scores were significant factors associated with CIS-R scores. MAAS scores moderated and attenuated the impact CIRS on CIS-R (adjusted R 2 = 0.447, p < 0.001). MAAS scores remained as significant moderator for CIRS in patients with NCD (CDR ≥ 0.5) (adjusted R 2 = 0.33, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Interim findings of the MMSOP suggested that dispositional mindfulness is associated with lower level of mood symptoms in community dwelling older adults in Hong Kong. The interaction effects further suggested that high mindful awareness may reduce the adverse effects of chronic physical morbidity on mental health. The observation stayed in the participants with cognitive impairment. We should further explore MBIs as a non-pharmacological treatment for in older adults at-risk of physical morbidity and cognitive decline.

A pilot feasibility randomized controlled trial on combining mind-body physical exercise, cognitive training, and nurse-led risk factor modification to reduce cognitive decline among older adults with mild cognitive impairment in primary care.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of (1) combining cognitive training, mind-body physical exercise, and nurse-led risk factor modification (CPR), (2) nurse-led risk factor modification (RFM), and (3) health advice (HA) on reducing cognitive decline among older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS: It was a 3-arm open-labeled pilot randomized controlled trial in the primary care setting in Hong Kong. Nineteen older adults with MCI were randomized to either CPR (n = 6), RFM (n = 7), or HA (n = 6) for 6 months. The primary outcome was the feasibility of the study. Secondary outcomes included the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Hong Kong version (HK-MoCA), the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), the Disability Assessment for Dementia (DAD), quality of life, depression, anxiety, physical activity, health service utilization, and diet. RESULTS: Nineteen out the 98 potential patients were recruited, with a recruitment rate of 19% (95% CI [12-29]%, P = 0.243). The adherence rate of risk factor modification was 89% (95% CI [65-98]%, P = 0.139) for CPR group and 86% (95% CI [63-96]%, P = 0.182) for RFM group. In the CPR group, 53% (95% CI [36-70]%, P = 0.038) of the Tai Chi exercise sessions and 54% (95% CI [37-71]%, P = 0.051) of cognitive sessions were completed. The overall dropout rate was 11% (95% CI [2-34]%, P = 0.456). Significant within group changes were observed in HK-MoCA in RFM (4.50 ± 2.59, P = 0.008), cost of health service utilization in CPR (-4000, quartiles: -6800 to -200, P = 0.043), fish and seafood in HA (-1.10 ± 1.02, P = 0.047), and sugar in HA (2.69 ± 1.80, P = 0.015). Group × time interactions were noted on HK-MoCA favoring the RFM group (P = 0.000), DAD score favoring CPR group (P = 0.027), GAS-20 favoring CPR group (P = 0.026), number of servings of fish and seafood (P = 0.004), and sugar (P < 0.001) ate per day. CONCLUSIONS: In this pilot study, RFM and the multi-domain approach CPR were feasible and had preliminary beneficial effects in older adults with MCI in primary care setting in Hong Kong. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR1800015324).

Intensity and Types of Physical Exercise in Relation to Dementia Risk Reduction in Community-Living Older Adults.

OBJECTIVE: To systematically examine the amount and type of physical exercise that might reduce the future risk of dementia in community-living older people. DESIGN: Six-year observational study. SETTING: All the Elderly Health Centers (EHCs) of the Department of Health in Hong Kong. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 15,589 community-living Chinese aged 65 years and older with no history of stroke, clinical dementia, or Parkinson disease when they completed health assessment at the EHCs in the first 6 months of 2005. MEASUREMENTS: Self-reported habitual physical exercise patterns, including the frequency, duration, and type of exercise, at baseline and Year 3 were analyzed. The study outcome was incident dementia in 6 years. Dementia was defined by presence of clinical dementia in accordance with the 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems or Clinical Dementia Rating of 1 to 3. RESULTS: Both the cognitively stable and incident groups reported exercising a median of 7 days per week and 45 minutes per day at baseline and Year 3. The former practiced aerobic and mind-body exercises more at baseline and Year 3, whereas the latter practiced stretching and toning exercises more. The odds ratio for dementia remained significant for aerobic (0.81; 95% confidence interval 0.68-0.95; P = .01) and mind-body exercises (0.76; 0.63-0.92; P = .004) after excluding participants who developed dementia within 3 years after baseline and adjusting for important potential confounders, such as age, gender, educational level, and physical and psychiatric comorbidities. CONCLUSION: Although physical exercise is widely promoted as a nonpharmacological intervention for dementia prevention, not all types of exercise appear to be useful in reducing risk of dementia in older people. Our findings suggest that daily participation in aerobic and mind-body but not stretching and toning exercises might protect community-living older adults from developing dementia.