Associations between COVID-19 incidence, weight status, and social participation restrictions in the U.S.: evidence from the national population, cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: To explore the associations between coronavirus infection incidence and weight status and social participation restrictions among community-dwelling adults in the United States. METHODS: We analyzed data from the 2021 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which included a representative sample of 29,394 individuals (Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): 3,205) and a weighted total of 252,461,316 individuals (COVID-19: 31,697,404), considering the complex sampling design used in the survey. RESULTS: Age, race/ethnicity, education level, family income index, body mass index (BMI), and smoking status were significantly associated with COVID-19 infection. Weight status was significantly correlated with social participation restrictions and strongly associated with COVID-19 infection, particularly among individuals who were overweight or obese. CONCLUSION: Weight status was shown to be associated not only with social participation restrictions but also with COVID-19 infection among U.S. adults. Understanding the complex interplay between weight status, social participation, and COVID-19 is crucial for developing effective preventive measures and promoting overall well-being in the community population.

Development and Analysis of the Job Description for Dementia Care Center Nurses in Korea Using Developing a Curriculum (DACUM).

The current study aimed to develop and analyze a dementia care center nurse (DCCN) job description using Developing a Curriculum (DACUM) in Korea. Seven DCCN panels participated in the DACUM workshop to define the duties and tasks. The developed duties and tasks were validated with a survey that included the importance, difficulty, frequency, and educational needs of the duties and tasks. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data collected from August to September 2020. Nine duties and 111 tasks were identified, with "dementia screening" ranking the highest among the duties and "management of cognitive programs" ranking the lowest. The task with the highest rank based on the determinant coefficient and educational needs was "conducting the first stage of the diagnostic test," whereas the task with the lowest rank was "recording special issues." Findings can be used as fundamental data for designing educational programs aimed at enhancing the competencies of DCCNs and as a tool for evaluating their job performance. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 49(10), 29-35.].

Gender-based depression factors of older adults living alone during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional and secondary data approach.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic negatively affected the mental health of older adults living alone. This study aimed to examine the differences in factors that influence depression among older adults based on gender. This study was a cross-sectional study employing the secondary data of 3581 older adults living alone at the early stage of COVID-19, collected from the 2020 Korea Community Health Survey, and used multiple linear regression analyses to identify factors associated with depression. We found that women had a higher level of depressive status than men. Low subjective health status was most significantly related to depression in both older men and older women. For women, body mass index and more changes in daily life due to COVID-19 were predictors of depression. Conversely, for men, a lower level of monthly income and smoking were significant predictors of depression. Depressive status caused by COVID-19 was likely to be frailer for older women who were living alone. There were differences in the factors related to depression due to COVID-19 by gender.

Factors of Functional Disability in the Social Participation of Older Adults Living Alone With Fall Experience.

The fall experiences of older adults living alone lead to restrictions in their social participation. This study aimed to examine the factors that influence functional disability in social participation (FSP) among older adults who live alone and have experienced falls. This study used secondary data of 493 older adults living alone who experienced a fall, which were collected from the 2017 National Survey of Older Koreans. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed. Factors, such as old age, sex, economic status, frequency of drinking, and number of acquaintances, significantly related to functional disability in terms of social participation. In addition, poor muscle strength, depression, and cognitive decline comprised predictors of FSP. The findings of this study revealed that it is important to comprehensively evaluate the social participation of older adults who live alone and have experienced falls.

Association of Social Frailty with Physical Health, Cognitive Function, Psychological Health, and Life Satisfaction in Community-Dwelling Older Koreans.

Social frailty affects various aspects of health in community-dwelling older adults. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of social frailty and the significance of its association with South Korean older adults' health status and life satisfaction. This study involved a secondary data analysis of the 2017 National Survey of Older Koreans. From the 10,299 respondents of the survey, 10,081 were selected with no exclusion criteria. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to identify the factors related to life satisfaction. Compared with the robust and social prefrailty groups, the social frailty group had higher nutritional risk (χ² = 312.161, p = 0.000), depressive symptoms (χ² = 977.587, p = 0.000), cognitive dysfunction (χ² = 25.051, p = 0.000), and lower life satisfaction (F = 1050.272, p = 0.000). The results of multiple linear regression, adjusted for sociodemographic and health-related characteristics, indicated that social frailty had the strongest negative association with life satisfaction (ß = -0.267, p = 0.000). However, cognitive function was significantly positively associated with life satisfaction (ß = 0.062, p = 0.000). Social frailty was significantly correlated with physical, psychological, and mental health as well as life satisfaction in community-dwelling older South Koreans. Therefore, accounting for the social aspect of functioning is an essential part of a multidimensional approach to improving health and life satisfaction in communities.