International Council on Active Aging
866.335.9777 
Join ICAA Now!
Whether you are an organization, or an individual professional, ICAA has the right membership for you.
Research news
As an ICAA member you can access a library of over 2,000 peer-reviewed and published studies. You can also stay up to date with current research by reading ICAA Research Review, the online newsletter of breaking news in health, wellness and demographics. Published 45 times each year, Research Review is emailed to ICAA members. To learn more about becoming an ICAA member please visit, www.icaa.cc or telephone ICAA toll-free at 866-335-9777.
Active older adults live longer and have better functional status
Older adults who continue or begin to do any amount of exercise appear to live longer and have a lower risk of disability, according to a recent Israeli study.
Researchers at Hebrew University Medical Center and Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, studied 1,861 individuals born in 1920 and 1921. Participants underwent assessments in their homes at ages 70, 78 and 85 years, during which they were asked about their physical activity levels. Individuals who were considered sedentary did less than 4 hours per week of physical activity, while those considered physically active exercised about 4 hours weekly, did vigorous activities such as jogging or swimming at least twice weekly, or engaged in regular physical activity (e.g., walking at least an hour daily).
The proportion of participants who were physically active was 53.4% at age 70, 76.9% at age 77 and 64% at age 85. When compared with those who were sedentary, physically active individuals were 12% less likely to die between ages 70 and 78, 15% less likely between ages 78 and 85, and 17% less likely between ages 85 and 88. In addition, these active participants were more likely to remain independent and experienced fewer declines in their ability to perform daily tasks. They also reported fewer new instances of loneliness and poor self-rated health. Importantly, the benefits associated with physical activity were observed not only in individuals who maintained an existing level of physical activity, but also in those who began exercising between ages 70 and 85.
Source: Archives of Internal Medicine, 169(16), 1476–1478, 2009
(Back to Research news)
Back to top
Persistent pain may accelerate signs of aging
Middle-aged adults with pain look similar in terms of disability to those who are 2 to 3 decades older without pain, finds a study led by geriatrician Kenneth Covinsky, MD, MPH, of the University of California, San Francisco. In fact, study results reveal that people with pain develop the functional limitations classically associated with aging at much earlier ages.
Functional limitations that impair the ability to live independently increase markedly with age, and to examine the effect, researchers looked at data from the 18,531 age 50-plus participants in the 2004 Health and Retirement Study. The four physical abilities they considered were:
- mobility (e.g., walking or jogging)
- stair climbing
- upper extremity tasks
- activity of daily living with or without help (e.g., bathing, dressing, eating)
A total of 24% of participants had significant pain (defined as often troubled by pain that was moderate or severe most of the time). Across all 4 physical abilities investigated, participants with pain had much higher rates of functional limitations than those without pain. In the mobility function as an example, 37% of individuals ages 50–59 without pain were able to jog one mile and 91% were able to walk several blocks without difficulty, compared to only 9% and 50%, respectively, of those with pain.
Says Covinsky, “We found that the abilities of those aged 50–59 with pain were far more comparable to subjects aged 80–89 without pain, of whom 4% were able to jog one mile and 55% were able to walk several blocks, making pain sufferers appear 20–30 years older than non-pain sufferers.” He also noted, “Our study cannot determine whether pain causes disability or whether disability causes pain. We think it is likely that both are true and that pain and disability probably can act together in ways that make both problems worsen in a downward spiral.”
Source: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 57(9), 1556–1561, 2009
(Back to Research news)
Back to top
Pelvic exercises help older women manage urinary incontinence
Researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago have found that a program of pelvic floor muscle exercises, combined with pelvic health education, can effectively manage urinary incontinence in older women. The study was presented at the recent annual meeting of the North American Menopause Society in San Diego.
The Rush study involved 65 women between ages 67 and 95. The women in the treatment group underwent a supervised chair-based exercise program for 6 weeks, which focused on identifying, isolating and strengthening muscles that support the pelvic area. In addition to the exercises, the program incorporated 4 educational sessions on basic bladder and pelvic health. The control group received just one session of educational basics and no supervised training in pelvic exercises.
At the program’s end, 83% of the women in the treatment group reported that their symptoms had improved, while the control group had no statistically significant improvements on the whole. In the treatment group, researchers found statistically significant improvements in several areas. There were decreases in problems with frequency of urination, urine leakage related to feelings of urgency, and urine leakage caused by physical activity, coughing or sneezing. Bladder control problems were less bothersome and also had less impact on daily activities. The women in the treatment group also reported less urgency during nighttime hours, better bladder management (especially when physically active or sneezing), and increased self-confidence. Eighty-two percent reported that they planned on continuing the exercises after the intervention.
Source: Rush University Medical Center, October 1, 2009
(Back to Research news)
Back to top
Canadian Boomers devote time, money to aging parents
A new poll by Investors Group, a financial services company based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, reveals that Canada’s Baby Boomers are devoting time and money, and racking up mileage, to help aging parents.
The national survey of adults ages 43–63 years found that 69% still have at least one living parent or parent-in-law. Among this group, one-third (35%) report providing care for aging parents. Specifically, these caregiving Boomers are traveling a monthly average of 225 kilometers (140 miles) and devoting the equivalent of a work week (42 hours) each month to provide support on a variety of fronts. In addition to these commitments, 4 in 10 (39%) caregivers are also providing financial assistance—an average of $498 (Canadian) per month—to their parents.
Financial support is only one aspect of the mixed bag of responsibilities that Boomers have taken on to support their parents. According to the Investors Group poll, everyday activities such as companionship (65%), transportation to appointments or social events (64%), home maintenance (56%), and household chores (55%) mingle with responsibilities such as helping with banking and investment activities or financial decision-making (61%), and ensuring healthcare needs are met (55%).
Only one in 10 (9%) caregivers identify their financial commitments to their parents as a source of stress. Nearly half (46%) say it makes them feel very good to provide this support and two-thirds (66%) feel like they’re repaying their parents for the time and effort that went into their own upbringing. More than half (56%) of caregiving Boomers agree that their relationships with their parents have improved and their connection as a family has strengthened as a result of their responsibilities.
Source: Investors Group, October 19, 2009
(Back to Research news)
Back to top
Healthcare spending doubles for middle-aged Americans
Total healthcare expenses for Americans ages 45–64 years in 2006 ($370 billion) were about double the inflation-adjusted total for 1996 ($187 billion), shows the latest data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a US Department of Health and Human Services agency. AHRQ’s study covers all adults ages 45–64 other than those residing in nursing facilities and other institutions.
AHRQ also found that, during this period, the proportion of people ages 45–64 who incurred medical expenses did not change (about 89%). However, average annual healthcare expenses for those with expenses increased from $3,849 (after adjusting for inflation) to $5,455. In addition, prescribed medicines were a substantially higher proportion of total expenses in 2006 compared to 1996 (25% and 15%, respectively).
Source: AHRQ News and Numbers, October 15, 2009
(Back to Research news)
Back to top
Widowed adults in America face higher mortality risk
Married people in the United States are living longer, but the widowed have a higher mortality rate, shows new research by a Michigan State University sociologist. The widening mortality gap between the 2 groups is a disturbing trend that should prompt scholars and politicians to seek out strategies to better protect and promote health for the widowed, says Hui Liu, PhD, study author and assistant professor of sociology at the East Lansing school.
Research from as far back as 1858 has shown that married people generally live longer than the nonmarried, but little is known about how this relationship has changed over time. Liu set out to explore recent trends in mortality by marital status. She analyzed the data of more than 500,000 people in the National Health Interview Survey and found that, as expected, the overall mortality rate for married people decreased from 1986 to 2000. The rate also decreased or at least remained stable among all cause-specific deaths examined except diabetes, which saw an increase. The mortality rate for the never-married also decreased, although it remained higher than that of married people. But when it came to widowed people, the overall mortality rate increased. This was especially true for white women. These results echo another study by Liu and colleagues that found a significant decline in self-reported health among the widowed in the US from 1972 to 2003.
In general, widowhood is associated with reduced economic resources and loss of social support, which may contribute to a higher mortality risk, the new study says. But the stress and emotional trauma of losing a spouse as a confidant might be greater now than in the past, as the average duration of marriage becomes longer with increasing life expectancy. Moreover, men and women generally are losing their spouse later in life—another factor that may contribute to a more frail widowed population.
Source: Journal of Marriage and Family, 71(5), 1158–1173, 2009
(Back to Research news)
Back to top
People who work after retiring enjoy better health
Older Americans who transition from full-time work into a temporary or part-time job experience fewer major diseases and function better day-to-day than people who stop working altogether, according to a new national study. These findings were significant even after controlling for people’s physical and mental health before retirement.
Mo Wang, PhD, of the University of Maryland, and his fellow researchers refer to this transition between career and complete retirement as “bridge employment,” which can be a part-time job, self-employment or a temporary job. For this study, the researchers looked at the Health and Retirement Study, sponsored by the National Institute on Aging (one of the US National Institutes of Health). They used data from 12,189 participants who were between ages 51 and 61 at the study’s start. Beginning in 1992, individuals were interviewed every 2 years during a 6-year period about their health, finances, employment history and work or retirement life.
To measure the respondents’ health over the course of the study, the researchers considered only physician-diagnosed health problems, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer and psychiatric problems. They controlled for baseline physical and mental health, age, sex, education level, and total financial wealth. The results showed that individuals who continued to work in a bridge job experienced fewer major diseases and fewer functional limitations than those who fully retired.
Study participants also answered a basic mental health questionnaire. The findings revealed that people whose post-retirement jobs were related to their previous careers reported better mental health than those who fully retired. These mental health improvements were not found among those who worked outside their career field, however. The authors suggest that may be because these individuals may need to adapt to a different work environment or job conditions and, therefore, become more stressed. Also, Wang has found that people with financial problems are more likely to work in a different field after they officially retire. “Choosing a suitable type of bridge employment will help retirees transition better into full retirement and in good physical and mental health,” adds coauthor Kenneth Shultz, PhD, of California State University, San Bernardino.
Source: Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 14(4), 374–389, 2009
(Back to Research news)
Back to top
Difficulty performing daily activities associated with progression to dementia
Among individuals with mild cognitive impairment, those who have more difficulty performing routine activities appear more likely to progress quickly to dementia, reveals a recently published report.
Sarah Tomaszewski Farias, PhD, of the University of California, Davis, and colleagues studied 111 individuals with mild cognitive impairment. Of these, 51 (46%) were recruited from patients referred to a university-based memory disorders clinic on suspicion of cognitive decline, and 60 (54%) were recruited directly through community outreach. All participants underwent annual clinical evaluations, diagnostic imaging, routine laboratory tests and neuropsychological evaluations.
During an average of 2.4 years of follow-up, 28 individuals progressed from mild cognitive impairment to dementia, including 23 (13%) from the clinic and 5 (3%) from the community. Other than recruitment source, the only factor associated with conversion from mild cognitive impairment to dementia was the degree of functional impairment at the beginning of the study. No demographic, cognitive or neuroimaging variables predicted this progression.
The results suggest that “in an educationally and ethnically diverse population, those with more functional impairment at their baseline evaluation—regardless of whether they are actively seeking an evaluation for a neurodegenerative disease—are at increased risk for conversion to dementia even within a relatively short follow-up period,” the authors conclude.
Source: Archives of Neurology, 66(9), 1151–1157, 2009
(Back to Research news)
Back to top
Processed and high-fat foods linked to depression
Researchers from University College London in the United Kingdom have found that high consumption of processed food is associated with a higher likelihood of depression, whereas a “whole food” diet with plenty of fresh vegetables, fruit and fish could help prevent the onset of depressive symptoms in midlife. According to researchers, the study is the first to examine the association between overall diet and depression.
The authors studied 3,486 people (average age 55) who completed a questionnaire about their eating habits and a self-report assessment for depression. They found that individuals with the highest intake of whole food were less likely to report symptoms of depression. In contrast, high consumption of processed food was linked with increased odds of depression. The associations between diet and onset of depressive symptoms remained after the research team controlled for other indicators of a healthy lifestyle, such as not smoking, being physically active and a healthy body mass.
“Our results suggest that consuming fruits, vegetables and fish may afford protection against the onset of depressive symptoms,” the authors write, “whereas a diet rich in processed meat, chocolates, sweetened desserts, fried food, refined cereals and high-fat dairy products would increase people’s vulnerability.”
Source: British Journal of Psychiatry, 195(5), 408–413, 2009
(Back to Research news)
Back to top
