Impairments in Individual Autonomous Living Tasks and Time to Self-Care Disability in Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Assessing the usability of an immersive virtual reality grocery store in healthy controls

BACKGROUND

Immersive virtual reality (IVR) as a research platform to study human behaviors is an emerging field and may be useful for studying self-care management, especially in the gap between formal healthcare recommendations and day-to-day living. Self-care activities, such as grocery shopping, can be challenging for people with chronic illness. We developed an IVR environment that simulates a real-life grocery store and conducted a usability study to demonstrate the safety and acceptability of IVR as an experimental environment.

METHODS

This study was a three-arm randomized control trial involving 24 participants, conducted as a usability study to evaluate aspects of the experimental condition including the effectiveness of a training exposure, the occurrence of undesirable effects associated with IVR, and participants' experiences of realism, immersion, and spatial presence. The experiment, using a head mounted device and handheld controllers, included a 10-minute training exposure, followed by one of three unique 30-minute experimental conditions which exposed participants to different combinations of tasks and stimuli, and a post-experience interview. We measured controller errors, undesirable symptoms associated with IVR, and the perception of realism, immersion, and spatial presence.

RESULTS

Participants used controllers effectively to interact within the IVR environment. Hand controller use errors were fewer during the experimental conditions compared to the training exposure. Minimal undesirable IVR symptoms were reported. Presence was rated in the middle range with no significant differences based on experimental condition. Overall, user experience feedback was positive.

CONCLUSIONS

We demonstrated that participants could engage in our IVR environment without excessive error or experiencing undesirable effects and confirmed that the virtual experience attained a level of presence necessary to effectively engage in the study. These findings give us confidence that this IVR intervention designed to explore instrumental activities of daily living is safe, effective and provides a credible, controlled simulated community-like setting.

Relation of environmental factors with activity limitations and participation restrictions in older adults with diabetes mellitus over time: an international classification of functioning framework perspective

BACKGROUND

Activity limitations and participation restrictions were observed in patients with diabetes, which may impact their quality of life. Environmental factors such as seasonal effects, resources and perceived stress may play important role in activity limitations and participation restrictions. In this study, a variant of International Classification of Functioning (ICF) model was used to clarify the associations of function/structure factors, personal factors and environmental factors with activity limitations and participation restrictions.

METHODS

This was a longitudinal design with 1 year follow-up. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Geriatric Depression Scale- short form, Perceived Stress Scale, and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living assessments were measured at 3-month intervals for long-term follow-up in 110 patients with diabetes aged ≥ 65 years.

RESULTS

Hierarchical linear regression models revealed that age (p = 0.001), perceived health status, MMSE scores (p < 0.01), and positive perceived stress (p < 0.001) were predictors of activity limitations (adjusted R2 = 53%). GDS-S (p < 0.05) and positive perceived stress (p < 0.01) were predictors of participation restrictions (adjusted R2 = 30%). Generalized estimating equation analysis indicated that seasonal effects, age, perceived health status, MMSE predicted the changes of slopes in activity limitations. Seasonal effects and GDS-S were predictors of the changes of slopes for participation restrictions (all p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The ICF can be used to identify the risk factors for activity limitations and participation restrictions in older adults with diabetes. Practitioners should provide individualized interventions with consideration of these risk factors.

The Prevalence and Trends of Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Impairments in the United States from 2008-2018

Background

Instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) are neuropsychological-driven tasks that are linked to cognitive dysfunction. Examining population-based IADL deficits may reveal insights for the presence of these impairments in the United States.

Objective

This investigation sought to evaluate the prevalence and trends of IADL impairments in Americans.

Methods

A secondary analysis of data from the 2006-2018 waves of the Health and Retirement Study was conducted. The overall unweighted analytic sample included 29,764 Americans aged≥50 years. Respondents indicated their ability to perform six IADLs: manage money, manage medications, use a telephone, prepare hot meals, shop for groceries, and use a map. Persons reporting difficulty or an inability to complete an individual IADL were considered as having a task-specific impairment. Similarly, those indicating difficulty or an inability to perform any IADL were classified as having an IADL impairment. Sample weights were utilized to generate nationally-representative estimates.

Results

Having an impairment in using a map (2018 wave: 15.7% (95% confidence interval (CI): 15.0-16.4) had the highest prevalence in individual IADLs regardless of wave examined. The overall prevalence of IADL impairments declined during the study period (p < 0.001) to 25.4% (CI: 24.5-26.2) in the 2018 wave. Older Americans and women had a consistently higher prevalence of IADL impairments compared to middle-aged Americans and men, respectively. The prevalence of IADL impairments was also highest among Hispanics and non-Hispanic Blacks.

Conclusion

IADL impairments have declined over time. Continued surveillance of IADLs may help inform cognitive screening, identify subpopulations at risk of impairment, and guide relevant policy.

The estimated prevalence of no reported dementia-related diagnosis in older Americans living with possible dementia by healthcare utilization

BACKGROUND

Screening for dementia in relevant healthcare settings may help in identifying low cognitive functioning for comprehensive cognitive assessments and subsequent dementia treatment after diagnosis.

AIMS

This study sought to estimate the prevalence of no reported dementia-related diagnosis in a nationally-representative sample of older Americans with a cognitive impairment consistent with dementia (CICD) by healthcare utilization.

METHODS

The unweighted analytical sample included 1514 Americans aged ≥ 65 years that were identified as having a CICD without history of stroke, cancers, neurological conditions, or brain damage who participated in at least one-wave of the 2010-2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. An adapted Telephone Interview of Cognitive Status assessed cognitive functioning. Those with scores ≤ 6 had a CICD. Dementia-related diagnosis was self-reported. Respondents indicated if they visited a physician, received home healthcare, or experienced an overnight nursing home stay in the previous two years.

RESULTS

The prevalence of no reported dementia-related diagnosis in persons with a CICD who visited a physician was 89.9% (95% confidence interval (CI): 85.4%-93.1%). Likewise, the prevalence of no reported diagnosis in those with a CICD who received home healthcare was 84.3% (CI: 75.1-90.5%). For persons with a CICD that had an overnight nursing home stay, the prevalence of no reported dementia-related diagnosis was 83.0% (CI: 69.1-91.4%).

DISCUSSION

Although the prevalence of no reported dementia-related diagnosis in individuals with a CICD differed across healthcare settings, the prevalence was generally high nonetheless.

CONCLUSIONS

We recommend increased awareness and efforts be given to dementia screenings in various clinical settings.

Usability and Effectiveness of Immersive Virtual Grocery Shopping for Assessing Cognitive Fatigue in Healthy Controls: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Cognitive fatigue (CF) is a human response to stimulation and stress and is a common comorbidity in many medical conditions that can result in serious consequences; however, studying CF under controlled conditions is difficult. Immersive virtual reality provides an experimental environment that enables the precise measurement of the response of an individual to complex stimuli in a controlled environment.

OBJECTIVE

We aim to examine the development of an immersive virtual shopping experience to measure subjective and objective indicators of CF induced by instrumental activities of daily living.

METHODS

We will recruit 84 healthy participants (aged 18-75 years) for a 2-phase study. Phase 1 is a user experience study for testing the software functionality, user interface, and realism of the virtual shopping environment. Phase 2 uses a 3-arm randomized controlled trial to determine the effect that the immersive environment has on fatigue. Participants will be randomized into 1 of 3 conditions exploring fatigue response during a typical human activity (grocery shopping). The level of cognitive and emotional challenges will change during each activity. The primary outcome of phase 1 is the experience of user interface difficulties. The primary outcome of phase 2 is self-reported CF. The core secondary phase 2 outcomes include subjective cognitive load, change in task performance behavior, and eye tracking. Phase 2 uses within-subject repeated measures analysis of variance to compare pre- and postfatigue measures under 3 conditions (control, cognitive challenge, and emotional challenge).

RESULTS

This study was approved by the scientific review committee of the National Institute of Nursing Research and was identified as an exempt study by the institutional review board of the National Institutes of Health. Data collection will begin in spring 2021.

CONCLUSIONS

Immersive virtual reality may be a useful research platform for simulating the induction of CF associated with the cognitive and emotional challenges of instrumental activities of daily living.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04883359; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04883359.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

PRR1-10.2196/28073.

Selection of Resistance Exercises for Older Individuals: The Forgotten Variable

Resistance training has been widely recommended as a strategy to enhance the functional autonomy and quality of life in older individuals. Among the variables that comprise a training session, the selection of exercises stands out as an important consideration for the elderly. Although a wide range of resistance exercise options exists, current guidelines generally do not indicate which exercises should be included and which muscles should be prioritized when prescribing training for older individuals. Therefore, given the lack of evidence-based information on the topic, this paper endeavors to establish recommendations to help guide the prescription of resistance exercises for older adults.

Insomnia as a predictor of diagnosed memory problems: 2006-2016 Health and Retirement Study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the longitudinal relationship in insomnia symptoms over time with incident memory problems and dementia diagnoses among U.S. adults aged 65 years and older.

METHODS

Secondary analyses were performed on 9518 elderly participants (≥65 years) who completed the 2006 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and were followed-up to determine if insomnia symptom scores (2006-2014) were associated with time-to-onset of [1] physician-diagnosed "memory-related disease", "Alzheimer's disease" and/or "dementia, senility or any other serious memory impairment" and [2] diagnosis of dementia based on HRS-specific criteria. Cox proportional hazards models were constructed adjusting for socio-demographic, lifestyle, and health characteristics.

RESULTS

In fully adjusted models, severe insomnia symptoms were associated with increased risk of physician-diagnosed memory problems. Individuals reporting any change (increase or decrease) in insomnia symptoms during the 2006-2010 period were more likely to be diagnosed with dementia based on HRS criteria. Finally, those who experienced an increase in the severity of insomnia symptoms over time exhibited 41-72% increased risks of physician-diagnosed memory problems and 45-58% increased risks of dementia diagnosis based on HRS criteria.

CONCLUSIONS

When severe insomnia symptoms increased over time, physician-diagnosed memory problems and dementia diagnoses also increased among U.S. elderly people over a 10-year follow-up period. More studies are required to confirm these findings using large prospective cohort designs and validated tools.

Handgrip Weakness and Asymmetry Independently Predict the Development of New Activity Limitations: Results from Analyses of Longitudinal Data from the US Health and Retirement Study

OBJECTIVES

Examining strength asymmetries in assessments of muscle function may improve screenings for limitations in independent living tasks such as instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). We sought to determine the associations between handgrip strength (HGS) asymmetry and future IADL limitations in aging Americans.

DESIGN

Longitudinal panel.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Secondary analyses of data from participants aged at least 50 years from the 2006-2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. The analytic sample included 18,235 Americans who identified hand dominance and had measures of HGS for both hands in a single wave.

METHODS

Hand dominance was self-reported, and a handgrip dynamometer measured HGS on each hand. The highest HGS values on each hand were used to calculate the HGS asymmetry ratio: (nondominant HGS/dominant HGS). Individuals with HGS asymmetry ratio <0.80 or >1.20 had HGS asymmetry. Persons with HGS asymmetry ratio <0.80 had dominant HGS asymmetry, whereas participants with HGS asymmetry ratio >1.20 had nondominant HGS asymmetry. Persons with HGS asymmetry ratio <1.0 also had their ratio inversed to make all HGS asymmetry ratios ≥1.0. IADL were self-reported. Covariate-adjusted generalized estimating equations were used for the analyses.

RESULTS

Participants with HGS asymmetry had 1.12 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03-1.20] greater odds for future IADL limitations. Each HGS asymmetry dominance group also had greater odds for future IADL limitations: 1.09 (CI: 1.01-1.18) for individuals with dominant HGS asymmetry and 1.29 (CI: 1.09-1.52) for persons with nondominant HGS asymmetry. Every 0.10 increase in inverted HGS asymmetry ratio was associated with 1.30 (CI: 1.07-1.57) greater odds for future IADL limitations.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Assessing HGS asymmetry, as another potential biomarker of impaired muscle function, may provide novel insights for predicting IADL limitations. Future research should continue examining how strength asymmetries, and other aspects of muscle function beyond maximal strength, factor into the disabling cascade.

Handgrip Strength Asymmetry and Weakness are Differentially Associated with Functional Limitations in Older Americans

Background: Handgrip strength (HGS) is a convent measure of strength capacity and associated with several age-related health conditions such as functional disability. Asymmetric strength between limbs has been linked to diminished function. Therefore, both HGS asymmetry and weakness could be associated with functional disability. We examined the associations of HGS asymmetry and weakness on functional limitations in a nationally representative sample of older Americans. Methods: Data were analyzed from 2689 adults ≥ 60 years who participated in the 2011–2012 and 2013–2014 waves of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Weakness was defined as HGS < 26 kg for men and < 16 kg for women. Asymmetry was determined from the ratio of the dominant and non-dominant HGS. Those with HGS ratio 0.9–1.1 were considered as having HGS symmetry, and those outside this range had asymmetry. Results: Compared to those with symmetric HGS and were not weak, those with weakness alone, and both weakness and HGS asymmetry had 2.47 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.14–5.35) and 3.93 (CI: 1.18–13.07) greater odds for functional limitations, respectively. However, HGS asymmetry alone was not associated with functional limitations (odds ratio: 0.80; CI: 0.62–1.03). Conclusion: The use of HGS asymmetry in protocols could improve the prognostic value of handgrip dynamometers.

What are the association patterns between handgrip strength and adverse health conditions? A topical review

Measures of handgrip strength can be used to conveniently assess overall muscle strength capacity. Although stand-alone measures of handgrip strength provide robust health information, the clinical meaningfulness to determine prevention and treatment options for weakness remains limited because the etiology of muscle weakness remains unclear. Moreover, clinical outcomes associated with handgrip strength are wide-ranging. Therefore, disentangling how handgrip strength is associated with health conditions that are metabolically or neurologically driven may improve our understanding of the factors linked to handgrip strength. The purpose of this topical review was to highlight and summarize evidence examining the associations of handgrip strength with certain health outcomes that are metabolically and neurologically driven. From this perusal of the literature, we posit that stand-alone handgrip strength be considered an umbrella assessment of the body systems that contribute to strength capacity, and a panoptic measurement of muscle strength that is representative of overall health status, not a specific health condition. Recommendations for future strength capacity–related research are also provided.

Daily Protein Intake and Distribution of Daily Protein Consumed Decreases Odds for Functional Disability in Older Americans

Objective: We sought to determine whether daily protein intake and protein distribution across eating occasions were associated with functional disability in a national sample of older Americans. Methods: Data from 8,070 adults aged ≥60 years from the 2007-2016 waves of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were included. Protein intake and functional capacity was self-reported. A daily protein recommendation of ≥1.0 g/kg/day was utilized. The daily protein recommendation was then spread-out across four meals, whereby a ≥0.25 g/kg/meal threshold was used. Results: Those meeting the daily protein recommendation had 0.78 (95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.65, 0.93]) decreased odds for functional disability. Persons meeting the protein intake threshold per eating occasion for one, two, three, and four occasions had 0.60 (CI = [0.38, 0.95]), 0.48 (CI = [0.30, 0.77]), 0.47 (CI = [0.29, 0.77]), and 0.39 (CI = [0.20, 0.75]) decreased odds for functional disability, respectively. Discussion: Protein consumption seems to be important for preserving function in older Americans.