Journal Articles
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7915
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Item Public Health.(2024-12) Röhr S; Gibson R; Alpass FBACKGROUND: High purpose in life - the extent of engagement in activities that are personally valued and give a sense of direction and meaning to life - has been associated with higher cognitive functioning and may protect against dementia. Less is known about gender differences in cognitive functioning regarding purpose in life. Understanding gender-specific links can inform tailored interventions aimed at promoting cognitive health. METHOD: A subsample (n = 875, aged 50-85 years) of the NZHWR study completed face-to-face cognitive assessments and postal surveys in 2012. Cognitive functioning was assessed with Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R), adapted for culturally acceptable use in New Zealand. Purpose in life was measured with the Life Engagement Test. Linear regression analysis assessed associations of gender, purpose in life and their interaction with cognitive functioning, controlling for socioeconomic factors (age, age², education, ethnicity [Māori, Indigenous people of New Zealand, and Non-Māori, mostly of European descent], marital status, employment, individual-level economic hardship, area-based socioeconomic deprivation), lifestyle and health factors (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, SF-12 physical and mental health, social engagement, social loneliness). RESULT: The analytical sample (n = 643) was M = 65.3 (SD = 7.4) years old; 53.3% women, 21.2% Māori. The ACE-R score was M = 92.9 (SD = 5.3). N = 55 (8.5%) scored ≥1.5SD below the mean, indicating cognitive impairment. Women had higher cognitive functioning (M = 93.7, SD = 4.6 vs. M = 92.0, SD = 5.8; Z = -3.88, p<.001) and purpose in life (M = 26.2, SD = 3.8 vs. M = 25.8, SD = 3.4; Z = -2.19, p = .029) than men. In the adjusted regression analysis (R² = 27.6%), higher purpose in life (B = 0.29, 95%CI = 0.12;0.46; p = .001) and female gender (B = 9.97, 95%CI = 4.71;15.24, p<.001) were associated with higher cognitive functioning. The association of purpose in life with cognitive functioning was less pronounced for women than men (B = -0.31, 95%CI = -0.51;-0.11; p = .003) (Fig. 1). Significant covariates included age², education, deprivation, and social loneliness. CONCLUSION: In this sample of older New Zealanders, a gender difference in cognitive functioning varied by level of purpose in life. Women had higher cognitive functioning than men, particularly at lower purpose in life, with the difference decreasing as purpose in life increases. Interventions to enhance purpose in life might particularly benefit men. Notably, cognitive functioning may also impact purpose in life, emphasising the need for longitudinal studies.Item Area-based socioeconomic deprivation is associated with cognitive decline in midlife to early late-life New Zealanders without cognitive impairment(Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Alzheimer's Association, 2025-01-09) Röhr S; Gibson R; Alpass FBackground Research 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. Understanding geographical dimensions of socioeconomic determinants of cognitive health is important from an equity perspective. Method Data stemmed from a subsample of the New Zealand Health, Work and Retirement Study, a cohort study on ageing. In 2010, 1,001 participants aged 49-84 years 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 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, controlling for individual-level socioeconomic (age, age², gender, education, ethnicity [Māori, Indigenous people of New Zealand, and Non-Māori, mostly of European descent], marital status, employment, net personal income), lifestyle and health variables (Lifestyle for Brain Health/LIBRA index, social loneliness). Result The analysis included 783 participants (54.7% female, mean age 62.7 years, 25.0% Māori). Individuals with cognitive impairment at baseline (n = 69) and older than 75 years were excluded (n = 79). Further attrition was due to missing data. At baseline, 39.7% resided in low deprivation areas, 39.0% in moderate, and 21.3% in high deprivation areas. The unadjusted model indicated a significant association between higher area-based socioeconomic deprivation and lower cognitive functioning (B = -0.16, 95%CI: -0.22,-0.10; p < .001) and cognitive decline (B = -0.12, 95%CI: -0.21;-0.03; p = .015). The adjusted model yielded similar results for 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) (Fig. 1). Influential covariates included gender, education, and lifestyle (LIBRA). Conclusion This study demonstrated a relationship between higher area-based socioeconomic deprivation and lower cognitive functioning, along with cognitive decline, in cognitively unimpaired New Zealanders aged 48 to 75 years. These findings emphasize 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.Item Trajectory of Cognitive Decline Before and After Stroke in 14 Population Cohorts(American Medical Association, 2024-10-02) Lo JW; Crawford JD; Lipnicki DM; Lipton RB; Katz MJ; Preux P-M; Guerchet M; d'Orsi E; Quialheiro A; Rech CR; Ritchie K; Skoog I; Najar J; Sterner TR; Rolandi E; Davin A; Rossi M; Riedel-Heller SG; Pabst A; Röhr S; Ganguli M; Jacobsen E; Snitz BE; Anstey KJ; Aiello AE; Brodaty H; Kochan NA; Chen Y-C; Chen J-H; Sanchez-Juan P; Del Ser T; Valentí M; Lobo A; De-la-Cámara C; Lobo E; Sachdev PSIMPORTANCE: Poststroke cognitive impairment is common, but the cognitive trajectory following a first stroke, relative to prestroke cognitive function, remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To map the trajectory of cognitive function before any stroke and after stroke in global cognition and in 4 cognitive domains, as well as to compare the cognitive trajectory prestroke in stroke survivors with the trajectory of individuals without incident stroke over follow-up. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The study used harmonized and pooled data from 14 population-based cohort studies included in the Cohort Studies of Memory in an International Consortium collaboration. These studies were conducted from 1993 to 2019 across 11 countries among community-dwelling older adults without a history of stroke or dementia. For this study, linear mixed-effects models were used to estimate trajectories of cognitive function poststroke relative to a stroke-free cognitive trajectory. The full model adjusted for demographic and vascular risk factors. Data were analyzed from July 2022 to March 2024. EXPOSURE: Incident stroke. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was global cognition, defined as the standardized average of 4 cognitive domains (language, memory, processing speed, and executive function). Cognitive domain scores were formed by selecting the most commonly administered test within each domain and standardizing the scores. RESULTS: The study included 20 860 participants (12 261 [58.8%] female) with a mean (SD) age of 72.9 (8.0) years and follow-up of 7.51 (4.2) years. Incident stroke was associated with a substantial acute decline in global cognition (-0.25 SD; 95% CI, -0.33 to -0.17 SD), the Mini-Mental State Examination, and all cognitive domains (ranging from -0.17 SD to -0.22 SD), as well as accelerated decline in global cognition (-0.038 SD per year; 95% CI, -0.057 to -0.019 SD per year) and all domains except memory (ranging from -0.020 to -0.055 SD per year), relative to a stroke-free cognitive trajectory. There was no significant difference in prestroke slope in stroke survivors compared with the rate of decline in individuals without stroke in all cognitive measures. The mean rate of decline without a previous stroke was -0.049 SD per year (95% CI, -0.051 to -0.047 SD) in global cognition. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this cohort study using pooled data from 14 cohorts, incident stroke was associated with acute and accelerated long-term cognitive decline in older stroke survivors.Item Prospective Associations between Single Foods, Alzheimer’s Dementia and Memory Decline in the Elderly(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2018-07) Fischer K; Melo van Lent D; Wolfsgruber S; Weinhold L; Kleineidam L; Bickel H; Scherer M; Eisele M; van den Bussche H; Wiese B; König H-H; Weyerer S; Pentzek M; Röhr S; Maier W; Jessen F; Schmid M; Riedel-Heller SG; Wagner MBackground: Evidence whether single “cognitive health” foods could prevent cognitive decline is limited. We investigated whether dietary intake of red wine, white wine, coffee, green tea, olive oil, fresh fish, fruits and vegetables, red meat and sausages, assessed by a single-food-questionnaire, would be associated with either incident Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) or verbal memory decline. Methods: Participants aged 75+ of the German Study on Aging, Cognition and Dementia in Primary Care Patients (AgeCoDe) cohort were regularly followed over 10 years (n = 2622; n = 418 incident AD cases). Multivariable-adjusted joint modeling of repeated-measures and survival analysis was used, taking gender and Apolipoprotein E4 (APOE ε4) genotype into account as possible effect modifiers. Results: Only higher red wine intake was associated with a lower incidence of AD (HR = 0.92; P = 0.045). Interestingly, this was true only for men (HR = 0.82; P < 0.001), while in women higher red wine intake was associated with a higher incidence of AD (HR = 1.15; P = 0.044), and higher white wine intake with a more pronounced memory decline over time (HR = −0.13; P = 0.052). Conclusion: We found no evidence for these single foods to be protective against cognitive decline, with the exception of red wine, which reduced the risk for AD only in men. Women could be more susceptible to detrimental effects of alcohol.Item Lifestyle Aspects As A Predictor Of Pain Among Oldest-Old Primary Care Patients – A Longitudinal Cohort Study(Dove Medical Press, 2019-11) Mallon T; Eisele M; König H-H; Brettschneider C; Röhr S; Pabst A; Weyerer S; Werle J; Mösch E; Weeg D; Fuchs A; Pentzek M; Heser K; Wiese B; Kleineidam L; Wagner M; Riedel-Heller S; Maier W; Scherer MPurpose: Dealing with the high prevalence of pain among the oldest-old (+75) is becoming a major health issue. Therefore, the aim of the study was to uncover health-related lifestyle behaviors (HLB) and age-related comorbidities which may predict, influence and prevent pain in old age. Patients and methods: In this longitudinal cohort study, data were obtained initially from 3.327 individuals aged 75+ from over 138 general practitioners (GP) during structured clinical interviews in 2003. Nine follow-ups (FU) were assessed until 2017. Available data from 736 individuals scoring in FU3 and FU7 were included in this analysis. Data were assembled in an ambulatory setting at participant’s homes. Associations were tested using a linear regression model (model 1) and ordered logistic regression model (model 2). Results: Statistical analyses revealed increased likelihood to experience pain for participants with comorbidities such as peripheral arterial disease (PAD) (coef. 13.51, P>t = 0.00) or chronic back pain (CBP) (coef. 6.64, P>t = 0.003) or higher body mass index (BMI) (coef. 0.57, P>t = 0.015) and, female gender (coef. 6.00, SE 3.0, t = 2.02, P>t = 0.044). Participants with medium education and former smokers showed significantly lower pain rating (coef. −5.05, P>t = 0.026; coef. −5.27, P>t = 0.026). Suffering from chronic back pain (OR = 2.03), osteoarthritis (OR = 1.49) or depressive symptoms (OR = 1.10) raised the odds to experience impairments in daily living due to pain. Physical activity showed no significant results. Conclusion: Chronic conditions such as PAD, or CBP, female gender and higher BMI may increase the risk of experiencing more pain while successful smoking cessation can lower pain ratings at old age. Early and consistent support through GPs should be given to older patients in order to prevent pain at old age.Item Driving status and health-related quality of life among the oldest old: a population-based examination using data from the AgeCoDe–AgeQualiDe prospective cohort study(Springer Nature Switzerland AG, 2021-11) Hajek A; Brettschneider C; Lühmann D; van den Bussche H; Wiese B; Mamone S; Weyerer S; Werle J; Leve V; Fuchs A; Röhr S; Stein J; Bickel H; Mösch E; Heser K; Wagner M; Scherer M; Maier W; Riedel-Heller SG; Pentzek M; König H-HBackground It is almost unknown whether the driving status is associated with HRQOL among individuals in highest age. Aims Based on a multicenter prospective cohort study, the objective of this study was to examine whether the driving status is associated with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among the oldest old in Germany. Methods Cross-sectional data from follow-up wave 9 (n = 544) were derived from the “Study on Needs, health service use, costs and health-related quality of life in a large sample of oldest-old primary care patients (85+)” (AgeQualiDe). Average age was 90.3 years (± 2.7; 86 to 101 years). The current driver status (no; yes) was used in our analysis. The EuroQoL EQ-5D questionnaire was used to assess HRQOL in this study. Results Regression analysis showed that being a current driver was associated with the absence of problems in ‘self-care’ [OR 0.41 (95%-CI 0.17 to 0.98)], and ‘usual activities’ [OR 0.48 (0.26 to 0.90)], whereas it was not significantly associated with problems in ‘pain/discomfort’ [OR 0.82 (0.47 to 1.45)] and ‘anxiety/depression’ [OR 0.71 (0.36 to 1.39)]. Being a current driver was marginally significantly associated with the absence of problems in ‘mobility’ [OR 0.60 (0.34 to 1.06)]. While being a current driver was not associated with the EQ-VAS in the main model, it was positively associated with the driving status (β = 5.00, p < .05) when functional impairment was removed from the main model. Discussion Our findings provide first evidence for an association between driving status and HRQOL among the oldest old. Conclusions Future longitudinal studies are required to evaluate a possible causal relationship between driving status and HRQOL in very old individuals.Item Do self-reported hearing and visual impairments predict longitudinal dementia in older adults?(Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The American Geriatrics Society, 2021-06) Pabst A; Bär J; Röhr S; Löbner M; Kleineidam L; Heser K; Hajek A; van der Leeden C; Wiese B; Maier W; Angermeyer MC; Scherer M; Wagner M; König H-H; Riedel-Heller SGBackground Sensory impairments have been associated with dementia in older adults. However, the contribution of different impairments and how they interact in the development of dementia is not clear. We examined the independent and interaction effects of hearing impairment (HI) and visual impairment (VI) on incident dementia. Design Multi-centric population-based prospective cohort study. Setting Data were taken from the AgeDifferent.de platform, pooling participants aged 75 and older from the German LEILA75+ and AgeCoDe/AgeQualiDe cohorts. Participants Older adults (N = 3497) with mean age 79.8 years, 67.2% female. Measurements Standardized interviews and questionnaires were used to assess self-reported HI and VI at baseline and all-cause dementia in 9 follow-ups, spanning over 20 years. Methods Competing risk regression models were conducted to test the main and interaction effects of HI and VI on dementia incidence, adjusting for established risk factors of dementia and accumulated mortality. Results HI and VI at baseline were reported by 30.3% and 16.6% of individuals, respectively. Adjusting for baseline information on sociodemographics, substance use, cognitive functioning and morbidity, and controlling for accumulated mortality risk, HI (sHR 1.16, 95% CI 1.04–1.30, p = 0.011) but not VI (sHR 1.07, 95% CI 0.90–1.28, p = 0.462) was significantly associated with incident dementia. There was no interaction between HI and VI (sHR 1.09, 95% CI 0.81–1.46, p = 0.567). Conclusions Hearing impairment is associated with an increased incidence of all-cause dementia in older adults. There is no excess risk or risk compensation through the additional presence or absence of visual impairment. Early prevention measures for hearing impairment might help to reduce the long-term risk of dementia.Item Prevalence of pain and its associated factors among the oldest-olds in different care settings – results of the AgeQualiDe study(BioMed Central Ltd, 2018) Mallon T; Ernst A; Brettschneider C; König H-H; Luck T; Röhr S; Weyerer S; Werle J; Mösch E; Weeg D; Fuchs A; Pentzek M; Kleineidam L; Heser K; Riedel-Heller S; Maier W; Wiese B; Scherer M; AgeCoDe & AgeQualiDe study groupBackground The prevalence of pain is very common in the oldest age group. Managing pain successfully is a key topic in primary care, especially within the ageing population. Different care settings might have an impact on the prevalence of pain and everyday life. Methods Participants from the German longitudinal cohort study on Needs, Health Service Use, Costs and Health-related Quality of Life in a large Sample of Oldest-old Primary Care Patients (85+) (AgeQualiDe) were asked to rate their severity of pain as well as the impairment with daily activities. Besides gender, age, education, BMI and use of analgesics we focused on the current housing situation and on cognitive state. Associations of the dependent measures were tested using four ordinal logistic regression models. Model 1 and 4 consisted of the overall sample, model 2 and 3 were divided according to no cognitive impairment (NCI) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Results Results show a decline in pain at very old age but nonetheless a high prevalence among the 85+ year olds. Sixty-three per cent of the participants report mild to severe pain and 69% of the participants mild to extreme impairment due to pain with daily activities. Use of analgesics, depression and living at home with care support are significantly associated with higher and male gender with lower pain ratings. Conclusions Sufficient pain management among the oldest age group is inevitable. Outpatient care settings are at risk of overlooking pain. Therefore focus should be set on pain management in these settings.Item Association of mental demands in the workplace with cognitive function in older adults at increased risk for dementia(BioMed Central Ltd, 2021-12-10) Zülke AE; Luppa M; Röhr S; Weißenborn M; Bauer A; Samos F-AZ; Kühne F; Zöllinger I; Döhring J; Brettschneider C; Oey A; Czock D; Frese T; Gensichen J; Haefeli WE; Hoffmann W; Kaduszkiewicz H; König H-H; Thyrian JR; Wiese B; Riedel-Heller SGObjectives Growing evidence suggests a protective effect of high mental demands at work on cognitive function in later life. However, evidence on corresponding associations in older adults at increased risk for dementia is currently lacking. This study investigates the association between mental demands at work and cognitive functioning in the population of the AgeWell.de-trial. Methods Cross-sectional investigation of the association between global cognitive functioning (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) and mental demands at work in older individuals at increased risk for dementia (Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging, and Incidence of Dementia (CAIDE)score ≥ 9; n = 941, age: 60–77 years). Occupational information was matched to Occupational Information Network (O*NET)-descriptors. Associations between cognitive function and O*NET-indices executive, verbal and novelty were investigated using generalized linear models. Results Higher values of index verbal (b = .69, p = .002) were associated with better cognitive function when adjusting for covariates. No association was observed for indices executive (b = .37, p = .062) and novelty (b = .45, p = .119). Higher education, younger age, and employment were linked to better cognitive function, while preexisting medical conditions did not change the associations. Higher levels of depressive symptomatology were associated with worse cognitive function. Conclusions Higher levels of verbal demands at work were associated with better cognitive function for older adults with increased dementia risk. This suggests an advantage for older persons in jobs with high mental demands even after retirement and despite prevalent risk factors. Longitudinal studies are warranted to confirm these results and evaluate the potential of workplaces to prevent cognitive decline through increased mental demands.