ABSTRACT
Growing evidence about the link between cognitive and physical decline suggests the early changes in physical functioning as a potential biomarker for cognitive impairment. Thus, we compared grip-strength trajectories over 12-16 years in three groups classified according to their cognitive status (two stable patterns, normal and impaired cognitive performance, and a declining pattern) in two representative UK and Chilean older adult samples. The samples consisted of 7069 UK (ELSA) and 1363 Chilean participants (ALEXANDROS). Linear Mixed models were performed. Adjustments included socio-demographics and health variables. The Declined and Impaired group had significantly lower grip-strength at baseline when compared to the Non-Impaired. In ELSA, the Declined and Impaired showed a faster decline in their grip strength compared to the Non-Impaired group but differences disappeared in the fully adjusted models. In ALEXANDROS, the differences were only found between the Declined and Non-Impaired and they were partially attenuated by covariates. Our study provides robust evidence of the association between grip strength and cognitive performance and how socio-economic factors might be key to understanding this association and their variability across countries. This has implications for future epidemiological research, as hand-grip strength measurements have the potential to be used as an indicator of cognitive performance.
ABSTRACT
Background: The increasing aging of the population with the consequent increase of age-associated cognitive disorders pose the challenge of controlling its preventable risk factors, among which vitamin D deficit is a putative factor. Thus, our objective is to explore the association between vitamin D and cognitive performance in a cohort study of community-dwelling Chilean older people. Material and Methods: Cohort study of 955 (69.7% female), community-dwelling older Chileans free of cognitive impairment from the Alexandros cohorts, with 25(OH)D measurement at baseline. Cognitive Function was evaluated with the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) short-form questionnaire. Plasma levels of 25(OH)D were classified as Normal > 30 ng/mL Insufficiency 20−29 ng/mL, Deficiency 20−12 ng/mL and Severe Deficiency < 12 ng/mL. Penalized regressions models were made to assess associations. Results: Mean age of the sample was 66.6 + 4.5 years, with 8.5 + 4.7 years of education. After a mean follow-up of 9.6 years, 54 new cases of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)were identified (Incidence density rate = 5.9 per 1000 person/years). Mean vitamin D plasma levels were lower in people with MCI than in the normal cognitive ones (23.0 + 12.75 vs. 28.35 + 15.17 ng/mL, p < 0.01). In the fully adjusted model only severe deficiency of vitamin D was associated with MCI (RR = 2.33; 95% CI: (1.03−5.26). Conclusions: In this longitudinal study, our results confirm that low Vitamin D is a risk factor for MCI, and that people with severe deficiency have more than double the risk of MCI people with normal Vitamin D levels. Considering the high frequency of vitamin D deficiency in older people, and its preventability, these results are very valuable for future public health programmes.
ABSTRACT
Mobile phone addiction is a robust phenomenon observed throughout the world. The social aspect of mobile phone use is crucial; therefore, phubbing is a part of the mobile phone addiction phenomenon. Phubbing is defined as ignoring an interlocutor by glancing at one's mobile phone during a face-to-face conversation. The main aim of this study was to investigate how the Phubbing Scale (containing 10 items) might vary across countries, and between genders. Data were collected in 20 countries: Belarus, Brazil, China, Croatia, Ecuador, India, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, UK, Ukraine and USA. The mean age across the sample (N = 7696, 65.8% women, 34.2% men) was 25.32 years (SD = 9.50). The cross-cultural invariance of the scale was investigated using multigroup confirmatory factor analyses (MGCFA) as well as the invariance analyses. Additionally, data from each country were assessed individually via confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs). We obtained two factors, based on only eight of the items: (a) communication disturbances and (b) phone obsession. The 8 items Phubbing Scale.