Browsing by Author "Alpass FM"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Contribution of retirement-related variables to well-being in an older male sample
    (New Zealand Psychological Society, 2000) Alpass FM; Neville S; Flett RA
    With New Zealand's increasing older adult population comes an increase in the number of retirees. Changes in work patterns, earlier retirement and increasing life expectancy are resulting in longer periods of time spent in retirement. The effects of retirement on health and well-being have been viewed both positively and negatively and previous research on the impact of retirement has been equivocal. Inconsistencies may be attributable to a number of factors including time since retirement, changes in health status of the retiree, loss of social supports, policies of voluntary versus mandatory retirement and whether the work career was satisfying versus unfulfilled. Further, there are many possible outcomes following retirement and indices such as depression, and psychological well-being may be influenced by retirement in different ways. The present study sought to address a number of these issues by investigating the relative contribution of demographic, health, social support and retirement related variables to a number of indices of well-being in a group of retired older adult males. The present study found the nature of retirement (forced/voluntary) was unrelated to well-being outcomes; number of years retired was negatively associated with well-being outcomes; and prior job satisfaction was positively related to well-being outcomes. However, retirement variables contributed little to the overall explained variance in well-being indices. The major contributors to outcomes were diagnosis of a long-term illness or disability and satisfaction with social supports. Findings are discussed in relation to the literature.
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    Effectiveness of dairy products to protect against cognitive decline in later life: a narrative review
    (Frontiers Media S.A., 2024-06-19) Anderson RC; Alpass FM; Drevenšek, G
    As the world's population ages the prevalence of age-related health concerns is increasing, including neurodegeneration disorders such as mild cognitive impairment, vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Diet is a key modifiable risk factor for the development of neurodegeneration, likely due to gut-brain axis interactions related to neuroinflammation. Analyses of dietary patterns identified dairy as being part of a cognitively healthy diet; however, its contribution to cognitive outcomes is difficult to discern. This narrative review evaluates the literature to determine whether there is sufficient evidence that the consumption of dairy products helps to maintain cognitive function in later life. A search using the terms (dairy OR milk OR cheese OR yogurt OR yogurt) AND ("mild cognitive impairment" OR dementia OR "Alzheimer's disease") identified 796 articles. After screening and sorting, 23 observational studies and 6 intervention studies were identified. The results of the observational studies implied that the relationship between total dairy consumption and cognitive outcomes is inverse U-shaped, with moderate consumption (1-2 servings per day) being the most beneficial. The analysis of the intake of different types of dairy products indicated that fermented products, particularly cheese, were most likely responsible for the observed benefits. The experimental studies all used dairy-derived peptides produced during fermentation as the dietary intervention, and the results indicated that these could be an effective treatment for early-stage cognitive impairment. Further experimental studies with whole dairy products, particularly fermented dairy, are needed to determine whether the regular consumption of these foods should be recommended to maximize the likelihood of healthy cognitive aging.
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    Higher socioeconomic deprivation in areas predicts cognitive decline in New Zealanders without cognitive impairment
    (Springer Nature Limited, 2024-11-16) Röhr S; Gibson RH; Alpass FM
    Previous studies identified individual-level socioeconomic factors as key determinants of cognitive health. This study investigated the effect of area-based socioeconomic deprivation on cognitive outcomes in midlife to early late-life New Zealanders without cognitive impairment at baseline. Data stemmed from a subsample of the New Zealand Health, Work and Retirement Study, a cohort study on ageing, who completed face-to-face interviews and were reassessed two years later. Cognitive functioning was measured using Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised, adapted for culturally acceptable use in Aotearoa New Zealand. Area-based socioeconomic deprivation was assessed using the New Zealand Deprivation Index (NZDep2006). Linear mixed-effects models analysed the association between area-based socioeconomic deprivation and cognitive outcomes. The analysis included 783 participants without cognitive impairment at baseline (54.7% female, mean age 62.7 years, 25.0% Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand). There was an association between higher area-based socioeconomic deprivation and lower cognitive functioning (B = -0.08, 95%CI: -0.15;-0.01; p = .050) and cognitive decline (B = -0.12, 95%CI: -0.20;-0.04, p = .013) over two years, while controlling for covariates. The findings emphasise the importance of considering neighbourhood characteristics and broader socioeconomic factors in strategies aimed at mitigating cognitive health disparities and reducing the impact of dementia in disadvantaged communities.
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    The changing nature of life regrets
    (18/11/2008) Towers AJ; Flett RA; Hill SR; Alpass FM
    IntroductionNew life stages promote new life goals and our most intense regrets should change in relation to our new goals and priorities.Research shows that 'Work' and 'Education' regrets are more common for older adults, who also tend to regret their inactions more than their actions. However, past research focuses in frequency and fails to indicate which regrets are actually more intense.We still don't know whether regret intensity changes with time and whether our most frequent regrets are also our most intense. Furthermore, we don't know whether regret-reducing processes, such as justification, are employed differentially across the life-span.
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    Trajectories of material living standards, physical health and mental health under a universal pension
    (BMJ Publishing Group, 10/03/2020) Allen J; Alpass FM
    Objective Aged pension schemes aim to support material and non- material well- being of older populations. The current work aimed to describe dominant trajectories of material living standards in the decades prior to and following eligibility for an aged pension, and describe associated trajectories of physical and mental health. Methods Longitudinal data on living standards and indices of health Short Form 12 were collected over 2–12 years follow- up from 4811 New Zealand adults aged 55–76. Growth mixture models were used to identify dominant trajectories of living standards with age. Latent growth curve models were used to describe trajectories of physical and mental health associated with each living standards trajectory class. results A group characterised by good living standards with age (81.5%) displayed physical and mental health scores comparable to those of the general adult population. Smaller groups experienced hardship but increasing living standards (11.8%) and hardship and declining living standards (6.8%). While both groups in hardship experienced poor health in the decade prior pension eligibility, mental health improved among those with increasing living standards, while physical and mental health declined among those with declining living standards. Conclusion Under the current policy settings, a majority of older adults in New Zealand maintain a good level of living standards and health in later life. However, significant proportions experience material hardship and poor health in the decade prior to pension eligibility. Alleviation of material hardship may reduce health inequalities in later life.