Volunteering and Risk of Heart Attack in Later Life: The Moderating Role of Purpose in Life?

Objectives: We investigate whether volunteering is associated with a reduced risk of first heart attack in later life and whether purpose in life moderates this relationship. Methods: Cox proportional hazards were used to examine seven waves of data (2006-2018) from the Health and Retirement Study-a nationally representative survey of adults 50 years and older (N = 5,079). Results: Volunteering a moderate number of hours was associated with a 46% lower risk of heart attack compared to non-volunteers. The association between high time-commitment volunteering and heart attack risk was contingent on level of purpose in life: compared to non-volunteers, people with high purpose in life who volunteered 100 + hours had the lowest risk of heart attack. Discussion: Meaningful volunteer activities may be one way for older adults to reduce their risk of heart attack.

Exploring the intersection of income and race in an age diverse sample of people with Type 1 diabetes.

Prior literature suggests that the social gradient in health is racialised such that Black individuals receive fewer health benefits from socioeconomic status than White individuals, yet scarce research studies examine whether this relationship persists in the context of Type 1 diabetes (T1D). Further, most research studies on racial health disparities in T1D outcomes focus on health during early life. We used data from the 2017-2018 wave of the T1D Exchange Registry (N = 11,963) and examined the relationship between household income, race and HbA1c in an age diverse sample of people with T1D. Results revealed that the inverse association between income and HbA1c is stronger for Black T1Ds compared to White T1Ds. Despite this, Black T1Ds with an income of $100,000 or more had higher HbA1c values compared to White individuals with an income of less than $25,000. Further, Black adolescents with T1D had particularly high HbA1c values. There is an urgent need for more research on the interpersonal and structural barriers associated with suboptimal glycaemic control among Black individuals.

Is Early-Life Enrichment Associated With Better Cognitive Function Among Older Adults? Examining Home and School Environments.

Objectives: We examine whether early-life enrichment, involving varied and stimulating activities to enhance cognitive function during childhood and adolescence, is associated with cognitive function in later life and whether the benefits persist over time. Methods: Growth curve models were used to examine up to five waves of data from the Health and Retirement Study-a nationally representative survey of adults 50 years and older (N = 10,070). We constructed separate measures of early-life enrichment to distinguish sources of influence (i.e., enriched home environment and enriched school environment). Global cognitive function was assessed with a modified version of the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status. Results: Greater enrichment in each environment was incrementally associated with better cognitive function at baseline, but enrichment was not associated with change in cognitive function over time. Discussion: Receiving enrichment from multiple environments during sensitive periods of cognitive development may be advantageous for cognitive functioning in later life.

Volunteer Engagement and Systemic Inflammation: Does Helping Others Benefit Oneself?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Although research on the health benefits of volunteering has proliferated, most studies are cross-sectional and rely on self-reported measures of health. Drawing from role theory, the objectives of this study are to examine if (a) volunteering engagement is related to systemic inflammation in later life, as measured by C-reactive protein (CRP); (b) the effect of volunteering varies by age; and (c) volunteering is related to change in CRP over time. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This study uses 4 waves of data from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative survey of adults 50 years or older. Nested linear regression models were used to examine the relationship between volunteer engagement and CRP concentration in later life. Residualized regression models were used to examine the effects of volunteer engagement on change in CRP. RESULTS: Results revealed that volunteering is modestly associated with lower CRP concentration, but only for respondents 65+. Highly engaged volunteers had lower CRP than both mid-level and nonvolunteers. Longitudinal analyses revealed a leveling of the beneficial effect of volunteering by age, indicative of reduced returns among the oldest respondents in our sample. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: These results support previous studies that volunteering, and doing so at a high engagement level, is associated with slightly lower levels of CRP. Leaders in medicine, public health, and social services should consider implementing volunteering programs for older adults.

Accessibility and availability of assistant reproductive technology for people living with HIV in Europe: a thematic literature review.

As antiretroviral therapies have transformed HIV into a manageable chronic disease, many individuals have or will choose to have children, and the use of assisted reproductive technology can serve as an effective risk-reducing strategy. In this thematic literature review, we examine the state of research on access to and availability of assisted reproductive health technologies for people living with HIV in Europe, with the aim of identifying gaps for further research. We find that the existing literature is focused on serodiscordant couples consisting of an HIV-positive man and an HIV-negative women. This is in part because more treatment options are available for men living with HIV than women, reflecting underlying gender discrimination in treatment. The existing scholarship largely ignores reproductive options for seroconcordant couples or single individuals, or for men and women with underlying infertility. Finally, very little research addresses the question of financial affordability, which is a known barrier to infertility treatment.