Influenza vaccine coverage and factors associated with non-vaccination among caregiving and care-receiving adults in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA).

BACKGROUND: Influenza vaccination is recommended for those at increased risk of influenza complications and their household contacts to help reduce influenza exposure. Adults who require care often experience health issues that could increase the risk of severe influenza and have close contact with caregivers. Assessing influenza vaccination prevalence in caregivers and care recipients can provide important information about uptake. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to (1) estimate influenza non-vaccination prevalence and (2) assess factors associated with non-vaccination among caregivers aged ≥ 45 years and among care recipients aged ≥ 65 years. METHODS: We conducted an analysis of cross-sectional data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging collected 2015-2018. We estimated non-vaccination prevalence and reported adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals from logistic regression models to identify factors associated with non-vaccination among caregivers and care recipients. RESULTS: Of the 23,500 CLSA participants who reported providing care, 41.4% (95% CI: 40.8%, 42.0%) reported not receiving influenza vaccine in the previous 12 months. Among the 5,559 participants who reported receiving professional or non-professional care, 24.8% (95% CI: 23.7%, 26.0%) reported not receiving influenza vaccine during the same period. For both groups, the odds of non-vaccination were higher for those who had not visited a family doctor in the past year, were daily smokers, and those who identified as non-white. DISCUSSION: Identifying groups at high risk of severe influenza and their close contacts can inform public health efforts to reduce the risk of influenza. Our results suggest sub-optimal influenza vaccination uptake among caregivers and care recipients. Efforts are needed to increase influenza vaccination and highlight the direct and indirect benefits for caregiver-care recipient pairs. CONCLUSION: The proportions of both caregivers and care recipients who had not been vaccinated for influenza was high, despite the benefits of vaccination. Influenza vaccination campaigns could target undervaccinated, high-risk groups to increase coverage.

Potentially Modifiable Risk Factors for Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment: An Umbrella Review and Meta-Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of mild and major neurocognitive disorders (NCDs), also referred to as mild cognitive impairment and dementia, is rising globally. The prevention of NCDs is a major global public health interest. We sought to synthesize the literature on potentially modifiable risk factors for NCDs. METHODS: We conducted an umbrella review using a systematic search across multiple databases to identify relevant systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Eligible reviews examined potentially modifiable risk factors for mild or major NCDs. We used a random-effects multi-level meta-analytic approach to synthesize risk ratios for each risk factor while accounting for overlap in the reviews. We further examined risk factors for major NCD due to two common etiologies: Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. RESULTS: A total of 45 reviews with 212 meta-analyses were synthesized. We identified fourteen broadly defined modifiable risk factors that were significantly associated with these disorders: alcohol consumption, body weight, depression, diabetes mellitus, diet, hypertension, less education, physical inactivity, sensory loss, sleep disturbance, smoking, social isolation, traumatic brain injury, and vitamin D deficiency. All 14 factors were associated with the risk of major NCD, and five were associated with mild NCD. We found considerably less research for vascular dementia and mild NCD. CONCLUSION: Our review quantifies the risk associated with 14 potentially modifiable risk factors for mild and major NCDs, including several factors infrequently included in dementia action plans. Prevention strategies should consider approaches that reduce the incidence and severity of these risk factors through health promotion, identification, and early management.

Effect of Age-Friendly Communities Action Plan on Trajectories of Older Canadians' Depressive Symptoms Between 2018 and 2020: Multilevel Results From the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

As the COVID-19 pandemic impacted mental health, this longitudinal study examined the effect of age-friendly communities (AFC) action plan on older adults' depressive symptoms. Using the CLSA, the CLSA COVID-19 Questionnaire study, survey of Canadian municipalities, and the census, the depressive symptoms trajectories were modeled with multilevel multinomial regressions. Most respondents (66.1%) had non-depressed trajectories, 28.1% experienced a moderate increase in depressive symptoms, and 5.8% had a depressed trajectory. AFC action plans did not have a protective effect on these trajectories. Being a female, greater loneliness, lower income, ≥2 chronic conditions, inferior social participation, weaker sense of belonging, COVID-19 infection, and pandemic stressors predicted a depressed trajectory. Neighborhood's deprivation had a weak protective effect on the declining trajectory. Although AFC action plans provided no benefits during the pandemic, volunteers facilitating resource access and social interactions could limit any increase in depressive symptoms.

Drug and Natural Health Product Data Collection and Curation in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

This study aimed to develop an efficient data collection and curation process for all drugs and natural health products (NHPs) used by participants to the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). The three-step sequential process consisted of (a) mapping drug inputs collected through the CLSA to the Health Canada Drug Product Database (DPD), (b) algorithm recoding of unmapped drug and NHP inputs, and (c) manual recoding of unmapped drug and NHP inputs. Among the 30,097 CLSA comprehensive cohort participants, 26,000 (86.4%) were using a drug or an NHP with a mean of 5.3 (SD 3.8) inputs per participant user for a total of 137,366 inputs. Of those inputs, 70,177 (51.1%) were mapped to the Health Canada DPD, 20,729 (15.1%) were recoded by algorithms, and 44,108 (32.1%) were manually recoded. The Direct algorithm correctly classified 99.4 per cent of drug inputs and 99.5 per cent of NHP inputs. We developed an efficient three-step process for drug and NHP data collection and curation for use in a longitudinal cohort.

Predictors of Retirement Voluntariness Using Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging Data.

Objectives: Involuntary exit from the labor force can lead to poor health and well-being outcomes. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to better understand the factors that contribute to perceived retirement voluntariness. Methods: We conducted descriptive and multivariable logistic regression analyses using a sample of recent retirees (n = 2080) from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). Results: More than one-quarter (28%) of older workers perceived their retirement to be involuntary. Among 37 possible predictors, 14 directly predicted retirement voluntariness and many more indirectly predicted retirement voluntariness. Only four direct predictors were common to both women and men, retiring because of organizational restructuring/job elimination; disability, health, or stress; financial possibility; and having wanted to stop working. Discussion: Findings suggest the need for employment support, health promotion, work disability prevention, financial education, and support that is sensitive to the differences between women and men to prevent involuntary retirement.

The association between grip strength and carotid intima media thickness: A Mendelian randomization analysis of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

BACKGROUND: Several two-sample Mendelian randomization studies have reported discordant results concerning the association between grip strength and cardiovascular disease, possibly due to the number of instrumental variables used, pleiotropic bias, and/ or effect modification by age and sex. METHODS: We conducted a sex- and age-stratified one-sample Mendelian randomization study in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. We investigated whether grip strength is associated with carotid intima media thickness (cIMT), a marker of vascular atherosclerosis event risk, using eighteen single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) identified as specifically associated with grip strength. RESULTS: A total of 20,258 participants of self-reported European ancestry were included in the analytic sample. Our Mendelian randomization findings suggest a statistically significant association between grip strength and cIMT (MR coefficient of 0.02 (95% CI: 0.01, 0.04)). We found no statistically significant differences between sexes (p-value = 0.201), or age groups [(≤ 60 years old versus >60 years old); p-value = 0.421]. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that grip strength is inversely associated with cIMT. Our one-sample MR study design allowed us to demonstrate that there is no evidence of heterogeneity of effects according to age group or biological sex.

The Effects of Cognitive Ability, Mental Health, and Self-Quarantining on Functional Ability of Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results From the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

OBJECTIVES: Determine whether levels of anxiety and depression, cognitive ability, and self-quarantining during and prior to the pandemic predict decreases in perceived functional ability. DESIGN AND SETTING: Longitudinal data collected from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) COVID-19 Questionnaire Study (2020) and core CLSA study (Follow-Up 1; 2014-2018). PARTICIPANTS: 17 541 CLSA participants. MEASUREMENTS: Self-quarantining behaviours from questionnaires administered at Baseline (April 2020), Monthly, and Exit (December 2020) time points of the CLSA COVID-19 Questionnaire Study, levels of anxiety and depression at Baseline, perceived change in functional ability at Exit, and performance on neuropsychological tests (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Task, Mental Alternation Task, Animal Fluency Test) and functional ability (Older Americans Resources and Services [OARS] Multidimensional Assessment Questionnaire) from the core CLSA study. RESULTS: Greater cognitive ability pre-pandemic (B = -.003, P < .01), higher levels of anxiety (B = -.024, P < .01) and depressive symptoms (B = -.110, P < .01) at Baseline, and higher frequency of engaging in self-quarantining throughout the COVID-19 survey period (B = -.098, P < .01) were associated with perceived loss in functional ability at Exit. Self-quarantining behaviour was associated with perceived loss in functional ability only at average and high levels of depressive symptoms (B = -.013, P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Older adults with higher cognitive and lower functional ability prior to the pandemic were at greater risk of decreased perceived functional ability during the first year of the pandemic, as were those who experienced greater levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms during the pandemic. Strategies/interventions to preserve functional ability in older adults with cognitive independence prior to future pandemics are warranted.

Protocol for validating an algorithm to identify neurocognitive disorders in Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging participants: an observational study.

INTRODUCTION: In population-based research, disease ascertainment algorithms can be as accurate as, and less costly than, performing supplementary clinical examinations on selected participants to confirm a diagnosis of a neurocognitive disorder (NCD), but they require cohort-specific validation. To optimise the use of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) to understand the epidemiology and burden of NCDs, the CLSA Memory Study will validate an NCD ascertainment algorithm to identify CLSA participants with these disorders using routinely acquired study data. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Up to 600 CLSA participants with equal numbers of those likely to have no NCD, mild NCD or major NCD based on prior self-reported physician diagnosis of a memory problem or dementia, medication consumption (ie, cholinesterase inhibitors, memantine) and/or self-reported function will be recruited during the follow-up 3 CLSA evaluations (started August 2021). Participants will undergo an assessment by a study clinician who will also review an informant interview and make a preliminary determination of the presence or absence of an NCD. The clinical assessment and available CLSA data will be reviewed by a Central Review Panel who will make a final categorisation of participants as having (1) no NCD, (2) mild NCD or, (3) major NCD (according to fifth version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria). These will be used as our gold standard diagnosis to determine if the NCD ascertainment algorithm accurately identifies CLSA participants with an NCD. Weighted Kappa statistics will be the primary measure of agreement. Sensitivity, specificity, the C-statistic and the phi coefficient will also be estimated. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval has been received from the institutional research ethics boards for each CLSA Data Collection Site (Université de Sherbrooke, Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Board, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia Health Research Ethics Board, University of Manitoba, McGill University, McGill University Health Centre Research Institute, Memorial University of Newfoundland, University of Victoria, Élisabeth Bruyère Research Institute of Ottawa, University of British Columbia, Island Health (Formerly the Vancouver Island Health Authority, Simon Fraser University, Calgary Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board).The results of this work will be disseminated to public health professionals, researchers, health professionals, administrators and policy-makers through journal publications, conference presentations, publicly available reports and presentations to stakeholder groups.

A Canadian case control study investigating demographic and environmental factors associated with MOGAD.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about demographic and environmental factors associated with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD). OBJECTIVE: To investigate factors associated with MOGAD using a case-control design and validated questionnaire from the Environmental Risk Factors in Multiple Sclerosis Study (EnvIMS). METHODS: We enrolled patients with positive MOG antibody serology and diagnosis of MOGAD at six Canadian centres. MOGAD participants completed the EnvIMS questionnaire, and were compared to unaffected controls from the Canadian arm of EnvIMS. We calculated crude and adjusted odds ratios (OR) using logistic regression models and Firth's procedure for rare events. RESULTS: We enrolled 39 MOGAD participants with mean (SD) age 45.0 (14.4) years, 28 (71.8 %) women, 25 (64.1 %) White, 26 (66.7 %) residents of Ontario, and mean BMI 28.6 (7.1). They were compared to 956 controls. Using multivariable logistic regression, larger body size at age 10 years (OR: 3.57, 95 % CI:1.23 - 10.33) and non-White ethnicity (OR:3.81, 95 % CI:1.93-7.54) were associated with higher odds of MOGAD. Among Ontario residents, current BMI ≥30 was associated with higher odds of MOGAD (OR:2.79, 95 % CI:1.03-7.53). CONCLUSION: Our findings are hypothesis-generating due to the sample size, but suggest that obesity and ethnicity should be explored as potential risk factors for MOGAD in other settings.

Cognitive impairment indicator for the neuropsychological test batteries in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging: definition and evidence for validity.

BACKGROUND: Prevalence of overall cognitive impairment based on each participant's performance across a neuropsychological battery is challenging; consequently, we define and validate a dichotomous cognitive impairment/no cognitive indicator (CII) using a neuropsychological battery administered in a population-based study. This CII approximates the clinical practice of interpretation across a neuropsychological battery and can be applied to any neuropsychological dataset. METHODS: Using data from participants aged 45-85 in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging receiving a telephone-administered neuropsychological battery (Tracking, N = 21,241) or a longer in-person battery (Comprehensive, N = 30,097), impairment was determined for each neuropsychological test based on comparison with normative data. We adjusted for the joint probability of abnormally low scores on multiple neuropsychological tests using baserates of low scores demonstrated in the normative samples and created a dichotomous CII (i.e., cognitive impairment vs no cognitive impairment). Convergent and discriminant validity of the CII were assessed with logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Using the CII, the prevalence of cognitive impairment was 4.3% in the Tracking and 5.0% in the Comprehensive cohorts. The CII demonstrated strong convergent and discriminant validity. CONCLUSIONS: The approach for the CII is a feasible method to identify participants who demonstrate cognitive impairment on a battery of tests. These methods can be applied in other epidemiological studies that use neuropsychological batteries.

Worsened Ability to Engage in Social and Physical Activity During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Older Adults' Mental Health: Longitudinal Analysis From the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

Background and Objectives: Restrictions implemented to mitigate the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affected older adults' ability to engage in social and physical activities. We examined mental health outcomes of older adults reporting worsened ability to be socially and physically active during the pandemic. Research Design and Methods: Using logistic regression, we examined the relationship between positive screen for depression (10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale) or anxiety (7-item Generalized Anxiety Scale) at the end of 2020 and worsened ability to engage in social and physical activity during the first 6-9 months of the pandemic among older adults in Canada. Interactions between ability to participate in social and physical activity and social participation pre-COVID (2015-2018) and physical activity were also examined. We analyzed data collected before and during the COVID pandemic from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, a nationally representative longitudinal cohort: pre-pandemic (2015-2018), COVID-Baseline survey (April to May 2020), and COVID-Exit survey (September to December 2020). Results: Of the 24,108 participants who completed the COVID-Exit survey, 21.96% (n = 5,219) screened positively for depression and 5.04% (n = 1,132) for anxiety. Worsened ability to participate in social and physical activity was associated with depression (odds ratio [OR] = 1.85 [95% confidence interval {CI} 1.67-2.04]; OR = 2.46 [95% CI 2.25-2.69]), respectively, and anxiety (OR = 1.66 [95% CI 1.37-2.02] and OR = 1.96 [95% CI 1.68-2.30]). Fully adjusted interaction models identified a buffering effect of social participation and the ability to participate in physical activity on depression (χ2 [1] = 8.86, p = .003 for interaction term). Discussion and Implications: Older adults reporting worsened ability to participate in social and physical activities during the COVID-19 pandemic had poorer mental health outcomes than those whose ability remained the same or improved. These findings highlight the importance of fostering social and physical activity resources to mitigate the negative mental health impacts of future pandemics or other major life stressors that may affect the mental health of older adults.

Global Prevalence and Incidence of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder affecting upper and lower motor neurons. Due to its rarity and rapidly progressive nature, studying the epidemiology of ALS is challenging, and a comprehensive picture of the global burden of this disease is lacking. The objective of this systematic review was to describe the global incidence and prevalence of ALS. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Global Health, PsycInfo, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL to identify articles published between January 1, 2010, and May 6, 2021. Studies that were population based and reported estimates of prevalence, incidence, and/or mortality of ALS were eligible for inclusion. This study focuses on the incidence and prevalence. Quality assessment was performed using a tool developed to evaluate methodology relevant to prevalence and incidence studies. This review was registered with PROSPERO, CRD42021250559. RESULTS: This search generated 6,238 articles, of which 140 were selected for data extraction and quality assessment. Of these, 85 articles reported on the incidence and 61 on the prevalence of ALS. Incidence ranged from 0.26 per 100,000 person-years in Ecuador to 23.46 per 100,000 person-years in Japan. Point prevalence ranged from 1.57 per 100,000 in Iran to 11.80 per 100,000 in the United States. Many articles identified cases with ALS from multiple data sources. DISCUSSION: There is variation in reported incidence and prevalence estimates of ALS across the world. While registries are an important and powerful tool to quantify disease burden, such resources are not available everywhere. This results in gaps in reporting of the global epidemiology of ALS, as highlighted by the degree of variation (and quality) in estimates of incidence and prevalence reported in this review.

Increased prevalence of loneliness and associated risk factors during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA).

BACKGROUND: Older adults have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and related preventative measures undertaken during the pandemic. Given clear evidence of the relationship between loneliness and health outcomes, it is imperative to better understand if, and how, loneliness has changed for older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, and whom it has impacted most. METHOD: We used "pre-pandemic" data collected between 2015-2018 (n = 44,817) and "during pandemic" data collected between Sept 29-Dec 29, 2020 (n = 24,114) from community-living older adults participating in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Loneliness was measured using the 3-item UCLA Loneliness Scale. Weighted generalized estimating equations estimated the prevalence of loneliness pre-pandemic and during the pandemic. Lagged logistic regression models examined individual-level factors associated with loneliness during the pandemic. RESULTS: We found the adjusted prevalence of loneliness increased to 50.5% (95% CI: 48.0%-53.1%) during the pandemic compared to 30.75% (95% CI: 28.72%-32.85%) pre-pandemic. Loneliness increased more for women (22.3% vs. 17.0%), those in urban areas (20.8% vs. 14.6%), and less for those 75 years and older (16.1% vs. 19.8% or more in all other age groups). Loneliness during the pandemic was strongly associated with pre-pandemic loneliness (aOR 4.87; 95% CI 4.49-5.28) and individual level sociodemographic factors [age < 55 vs. 75 + (aOR 1.41; CI 1.23-1.63), women (aOR 1.34; CI 1.25-1.43), and no post-secondary education vs. post-secondary education (aOR 0.73; CI 0.61-0.86)], living conditions [living alone (aOR 1.39; CI 1.27-1.52) and urban living (aOR 1.18; CI 1.07-1.30)], health status [depression (aOR 2.08; CI 1.88-2.30) and having two, or ≥ three chronic conditions (aOR 1.16; CI 1.03-1.31 and aOR 1.34; CI 1.20-1.50)], health behaviours [regular drinker vs. non-drinker (aOR 1.15; CI 1.04-1.28)], and pandemic-related factors [essential worker (aOR 0.77; CI 0.69-0.87), and spending less time alone than usual on weekdays (aOR 1.32; CI 1.19-1.46) and weekends (aOR 1.27; CI 1.14-1.41) compared to spending the same amount of time alone]. CONCLUSIONS: As has been noted for various other outcomes, the pandemic did not impact all subgroups of the population in the same way with respect to loneliness. Our results suggest that public health measures aimed at reducing loneliness during a pandemic should incorporate multifactor interventions fostering positive health behaviours and consider targeting those at high risk for loneliness.

Measuring physical performance in later life: reliability of protocol variations for common performance-based mobility tests.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Performance-based tests of mobility or physical function such as the Timed Up and Go (TUG), gait speed, chair-rise, and single-leg stance (SLS) are often administered using different protocols in aging populations, however, the reliability of their assessment protocols is not often considered. The purpose of this study was to examine the reliabilities of frequently used assessment protocols for the TUG, gait speed, chair-rise, and SLS in different age groups. METHODS: We administered the following assessment protocols in an age-stratified (50-64, 65-74, 75+ years) sample of participants (N = 147) from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA): TUG fast pace and TUG normal pace: TUG-cognitive counting backwards by ones and counting back by threes, gait speed with 3-m and 4-m course, chair-rise with arms crossed and allowing the use of arms, and SLS using preferred leg or both legs-on two occasions within 1 week. We assessed the relative (intra-class correlation) and absolute reliability (standard error of measurement, SEM and minimal detectable change, MDC) for each protocol variation and provided recommendations based on relative reliability. RESULTS: For participants aged 50-64 years, our results suggest better reliability for TUG fast-pace compared with normal-pace (ICC and 95% CI 0.70; 0.41-0.85 versus 0.38; 0.12-0.59). The reliability values for 3-m gait speed were potentially higher than for 4-m gait speed (ICC 0.75; 0.67-0.82 versus 0.64; 0.54-0.73) and values for chair-rise suggested better reliability allowing participants to use their arms than with arms crossed (ICC 0.79; 0.66-0.86 versus 0.64; 0.45-0.77) for participants overall. For participants aged 75+ years, ICCs for SLS with the preferred leg showed better reliability than for both legs (ICC = 0.62-0.79 versus 0.30-0.39). CONCLUSIONS AND DISCUSSION: These reliability data and the recommendations can help guide the selection of the most appropriate performance-based test protocols for measuring mobility in middle-aged and older community-dwelling adults.

Trajectories of the socioeconomic gradient of mental health: Results from the CLSA COVID-19 Questionnaire Study.

As the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic prolongs, documenting trajectories of the socioeconomic gradient of mental health is important. We describe changes in the prevalence and absolute and relative income-related inequalities of mental health between April and December 2020 in Canada. We used data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) COVID-19 Questionnaire Study and the pre-pandemic CLSA Follow-up 1. We estimated the prevalence proportion, the concentration index (relative inequality), and the generalized concentration index (absolute inequality) for anxiety and self-reported feeling generally unwell at multiple points in April-December 2020, overall, by sex and age group, by region, and among those who reported poor or fair overall health and mental health pre-pandemic. Overall, the prevalence of anxiety remained unchanged (22.45 to 22.10%, p = 0.231), but self-reported feeling generally unwell decreased (9.83 to 5.94%, p = 0.004). Relative and absolute income-related inequalities were unchanged for both anxiety and self-reported feeling generally unwell, with exceptions of an increased concentration of self-reported feeling generally unwell among the poor, measured by the concentration index, overall (-0.054 to -0.115, p = 0.004) and in Ontario (-0.035 to -0.123, p = 0.047) and British Columbia (-0.055 to -0.141, p = 0.044). The COVID-19 pandemic appeared to neither exacerbate nor ameliorate existing income-related inequalities in mental health among older adults in Canada between April and December 2020. Continued monitoring of inequalities is necessary.

Persistent COVID-19 symptoms in community-living older adults from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA).

BACKGROUND: Symptom persistence in non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients, also known as Long COVID or Post-acute Sequelae of COVID-19, is not well characterized or understood, and few studies have included non-COVID-19 control groups. METHODS: We used data from a cross-sectional COVID-19 questionnaire (September-December 2020) linked to baseline (2011-2015) and follow-up (2015-2018) data from a population-based cohort including 23,757 adults 50+ years to examine how age, sex, and pre-pandemic physical, psychological, social, and functional health were related to the severity and persistence of 23 COVID-19-related symptoms experienced between March 2020 and questionnaire completion. RESULTS: The most common symptoms are fatigue, dry cough, muscle/joint pain, sore throat, headache, and runny nose; reported by over 25% of participant who had (n = 121) or did not have (n = 23,636) COVID-19 during the study period. The cumulative incidence of moderate/severe symptoms in people with COVID-19 is more than double that reported by people without COVID-19, with the absolute difference ranging from 16.8% (runny nose) to 37.8% (fatigue). Approximately 60% of male and 73% of female participants with COVID-19 report at least one symptom persisting >1 month. Persistence >1 month is higher in females (aIRR = 1.68; 95% CI: 1.03, 2.73) and those with multimorbidity (aIRR = 1.90; 95% CI: 1.02, 3.49); persistence >3 months decreases by 15% with each unit increase in subjective social status after adjusting for age, sex and multimorbidity. CONCLUSIONS: Many people living in the community who were not hospitalized for COVID-19 still experience symptoms 1- and 3-months post infection. These data suggest that additional supports, for example access to rehabilitative care, are needed to help some individuals fully recover.

Some people who develop COVID-19 experience persistence of symptoms. Here, we aimed to understand the factors associated with the severity and persistence of these symptoms in adults 50 years and older living in the community who had COVID-19. Using information provided by 23,757 participants from across Canada we compared the symptoms between those who had COVID-19 and those who did not. The number and severity of symptoms in participants who had COVID-19 was beyond what would be expected due to other causes. Over two-thirds of participants who had COVID-19 reported symptoms persisting for more than one month, and over half of the participants more than three months. Symptom persistence was higher in females, those with multiple chronic conditions, and lower perceived social status. This suggests that a substantial proportion of people who were not hospitalized for COVID-19 may require further healthcare assistance.

Unmet health care needs during the COVID-19 pandemic among adults: a prospective cohort study in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic affected access to health care services in Canada; however, limited research examines the influence of the social determinants of health on unmet health care needs during the first year of the pandemic. The objectives of this study were to describe unmet health care needs during the first year of the pandemic and to investigate the association of unmet needs with the social determinants of health. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study of 23 972 adults participating in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) COVID-19 Study (April-December 2020) to identify the social determinants of health associated with unmet health care needs during the pandemic. Using logistic regression, we assessed the association between several social determinants of health on the following 3 outcomes (separately): experiencing any challenges in accessing health care services, not going to a hospital or seeing a doctor when needed, and experiencing barriers to accessing testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection. RESULTS: From September to December 2020, 25% of participants experienced challenges accessing health care services, 8% did not go to a hospital or see a doctor when needed and 4% faced barriers accessing testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection. The prevalence of all 3 unmet need outcomes was lower among older age groups. Differences were observed by sex, region, education, income and racial background. Immigrants (odds ratio [OR] 1.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09-1.27) or people with chronic conditions (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.27-1.43) had higher odds of experiencing challenges accessing health care services and had higher odds of not going to a hospital or seeing a doctor (immigrants OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.11-1.43; chronic conditions OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.31-1.61). Prepandemic unmet health care needs were strongly associated with all 3 outcomes. INTERPRETATION: Substantial unmet health care needs were reported by Canadian adults during the first year of the pandemic. The results of this study have important implications for health equity.

A national case-control study investigating demographic and environmental factors associated with NMOSD.

BACKGROUND: Risk factors for aquaporin-4 (AQP4+) antibody neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) are not well-established. OBJECTIVE: To investigate demographic and environmental factors associated with NMOSD using a validated questionnaire and case-control design. METHODS: We enrolled patients with AQP4 + NMOSD through six Canadian Multiple Sclerosis Clinics. Participants completed the validated Environmental Risk Factors in Multiple Sclerosis Study (EnvIMS) questionnaire. Their responses were compared to those of 956 unaffected controls from the Canadian arm of EnvIMS. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) for the association between each variable and NMOSD using logistic regression and Firth's procedure for rare events. RESULTS: In 122 participants (87.7% female) with NMOSD, odds of NMOSD in East Asian and Black participants were ⩾8 times that observed in White participants. Birthplace outside Canada was associated with an increased risk of NMOSD (OR = 5.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.6-8.3) as were concomitant autoimmune diseases (OR = 2.7, 95% CI = 1.4-5.0). No association was observed with reproductive history or age at menarche. CONCLUSION: In this case-control study, risk of NMOSD in East Asian and Black versus White individuals was greater than that observed in many previous studies. Despite the preponderance of affected women, we did not observe any association with hormonal factors such as reproductive history or age at menarche.

The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging: A Vehicle for Research on Aging in Older Veterans.

INTRODUCTION: Research on the health of older Veterans in Canada is an emerging area. Few population-based studies in Canada have included older Veterans as a specific group of interest. This paper describes a cohort of self-identified Veterans within the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using data from the CLSA baseline assessment (2011-2015), we describe sociodemographic and health characteristics along with military-related variables in a cohort of Veterans in Canada. We also estimate the number of Canadian and non-Canadian Veterans living in Canada at the time of the CLSA baseline data collection. RESULTS: We estimate that at the CLSA baseline, there were 718,893 (95% confidence interval [CI], 680,033-757,110) Canadian Veterans and 185,548 (95% CI, 165,713-205,100) non-Canadian Veterans aged 45-85 years living in Canada. Veterans were older and predominantly male compared to non-Veterans in the CLSA. Following age and sex adjustment, the distribution of sociodemographic and health characteristics was similar across all groups. The majority (> 85%) of participants in each comparison group reported self-rated general and mental health as excellent, very good, or good. Following age and sex adjustment, most characteristics across groups remained similar. One exception was mental health, where a greater proportion of Veterans screened positive for depression and anxiety relative to non-Veterans. CONCLUSIONS: Using CLSA baseline data, we estimate the number of older Veterans in Canada and present descriptive data that highlight interesting differences and similarities between Veterans and non-Veterans living in Canada. Canadian and non-Canadian Veterans in the CLSA are presented separately, with the latter group having not been previously studied in Canada. This paper presents a snapshot of a cohort of self-identified Veterans within the CLSA at study baseline and highlights the potential of the CLSA as a vehicle for studying the aging Veteran population in Canada for years to come.