Depression and Exercise in Older Adults: Exercise Looks after You Program, User Profile

Internet Use and Depressive Symptoms among Older Adults in the U.S.: Unraveling the Differences by Gender

The daily Internet use among older adults has increased. This study examines how Internet usage affects depressive symptoms among older adults, focusing on gender differences. Using data from the 2015 National Health and Aging Trends Study (N = 6380), weighted multinomial logistic regression analysis was conducted. Men tended to access the Internet more for instrumental purposes and health-related matters compared to women. Conversely, women used social networking sites (SNSs) more frequently. Men were more inclined to use the Internet for personal tasks and health concerns than women. SNS use was positively associated with mild and major depression in men, while email or texting was negatively linked to their major depression. Internet use for health matters was negatively associated with major depression in women. The discussion emphasizes potential service and policy innovations aimed at leveraging digital technology to improve the mental health of older individuals, considering gender differences.

The Impact of Regular Physical Activity on the Mental Health and Well-Being of Dementia Patients in High-Income Countries-A Systematic Scoping Review

Background: Dementia is a term used to describe a group of symptoms impacting memory, thinking, and social abilities. Evidence suggests a positive role of physical activity in physical and mental well-being in general. This systematic scoping review aimed to gather, summarise, and analyse evidence of the impact of physical activity on the mental health and well-being of dementia patients. Methods: A comprehensive systematic search of mainly primary research was conducted using several databases. Peer-reviewed studies in high-income countries published between 2005 and 2023 were included. The systematic scoping review was performed using the framework outlined by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) and reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) statement. Results: Twenty-four articles (including 93,984 participants) were included in the analysis. Most articles (21) reported that physical activity (particularly regular physical activity) is associated with decreased depression score, decreased cognition impairment, and fewer falls, all of which contributed to improved well-being among dementia patients. These studies showed that there is a significant positive relationship between the level of physical activity and the level of improvement in the mental health and well-being of dementia patients. Conclusions: Findings from this systematic scoping review provide relatively reliable evidence that regular physical activity may improve the mental health and well-being of dementia patients. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses may be required to further confirm these findings.

Network Analysis Revealed the Role of Helplessness as a Central Feature Among Late-Life Depressive Symptoms in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Early Stage Dementia

OBJECTIVE

It has been reported that depressive symptoms in older adults are different from those in younger adults, especially when accompanied by cognitive decline. However, few studies have investigated the network structure of depressive symptoms in this population.

METHODS

The participants consisted of 627 older adults (>60 yr) who were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or early stage dementia. Among them, 36.7% were male and the mean age was 76.20±7.71 years. The Korean form of Geriatric Depression Scale (KGDS) was used to evaluate their depressive symptoms and network analyses were performed using bootnet R-package to identify the central features among depressive symptoms.

RESULTS

Of all the KGDS items, we found that KGDS 2 (often feel helpless) had the highest node strength followed by KGDS 21 (in good spirits), KGDS 14 (not confident at all), and KGDS 15 (cheerful and happy). In terms of node betweenness, KGDS 2 also showed the highest value. The edge weights of edges connected to node KGDS 2 were strongest in KGDS 3 (restless and fidgety) and KGDS 28 (easily get tired).

CONCLUSION

In this study, we presented which symptoms are central among the elderly with MCI and early stage dementia. This result not only increases the understanding of depressive symptoms in this group but would also help determine target symptoms in the treatment program.

A Non-Randomized Combined Program of Walking and Low-Load Resistance Exercise Improves Cognitive Function and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Community-Dwelling Elderly Women

Background: This study examines whether changes in cardiometabolic risk factors, functional fitness, and depressive symptoms following a six-month exercise intervention were associated with cognitive function in Korean women aged 65 years and older. Methods: A non-randomized study design was used to compare post-intervention changes in measured variables between control (n = 30) and exercise (n = 30) groups. The exercise intervention consisted of three days of low-load resistance exercise and two days of walking. Cognitive function and depressive symptoms were assessed with the Korean version of the Mini−Mental State Examination and the Korean version of the Geriatric Depression Scale, respectively. Functional fitness was measured using a senior fitness test battery. Results: The exercise group showed a significant improvement in cognitive function (p < 0.001) in conjunction with significant decreases in blood glucose (p = 0.052), triglycerides (p = 0.011), insulin (p = 0.002), tumor necrosis factor-α (p = 0.043), and depressive symptoms (p = 0.006) and an increase in interleukin-10 (p = 0.037), compared with the control group. Multivariate stepwise regression showed that changes in depressive symptoms (p < 0.001), insulin resistance (p < 0.001), and upper body muscle strength (p = 0.003) were positively associated with cognitive function. Conclusion: A six-month exercise intervention consisting of walking and low-load/high-repetition elastic band resistance exercise has the potential to improve cognitive function, as well as physical function and cardiometabolic risk factors, and to decrease depressive symptoms in older women.

Cross-Sectional Analysis of Taiwanese Pharmacy Students’ Experiences and Perceptions of Transitioning from In-Hospital Internships to Distance Learning Due to COVID-19

The introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPE) in Taiwan, which are traditionally conducted in physical hospital settings, incorporated up to 30% distance learning from May 2021 due to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). A web-based cross-sectional survey was adopted to investigate pharmacy students’ experiences and perceptions of transitioning from in-hospital internships to distance learning due to COVID-19 in the pharmacy department of a university in Southern Taiwan. We analyzed the results to discover factors that significantly affected students’ perceptions of transitioning from in-hospital internships to distance learning. In total, 81 interns from the university’s pharmacy department responded to the questionnaire. Approximately half of the participants felt happy when they learned, before the internship began, that the internship would be partially replaced with distance learning. The overall satisfaction rate was 67.9%, and no significant differences was observed in students’ satisfaction between hospital size or distance-learning time. However, more students in the medical center felt they had insufficient time to finish assignments compared to those in the regional hospitals, and the students who had 11–15 days of distance learning felt that they interacted more smoothly with their peers compared to those who had other durations. Program designers should make distance internship courses more student-centered, with a focus on increasing interactions between students, teachers, and peers to compensate for the lack of physical presence.

Association between Lower-Body Strength, Health-Related Quality of Life, Depression Status and BMI in the Elderly Women with Depression

INTRODUCTION

Depression is currently the most prevalent mental illness in the world. It is a very frequent geriatric syndrome that causes a high degree of disability and increases mortality in the elderly population. This mental disorder is a social and public health problem that alters the quality of life (Qol) of the patient. Physical strength work has been reported to improve the clinical picture of people with depression.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the relationship between lower body strength, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), depression status and body mass index (BMI) in older women with depression.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional descriptive study with 685 elder women with depression.

RESULTS

A mild direct correlation (Rho = -0.29; p ≤ 0.001) between stand-ip test and EQ-5D-3L test was shown. There is a mild inverse correlation between stand-up test and six of fifteen items of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) (Rho item 1 = -0.24; p ≤ 0.001; item 4 = 0.11; p ≤ 0.001; item 5 = -0.20; p ≤ 0.001; item 7 = -0.15; p ≤ 0.001; item 11 = -0.19; p ≤ 0.001; item 13 = -0.21; p ≤ 0.001). Between Stand-Up test and BMI, the correlation is weak inverse (Rho = -0.20; p ≤ 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

There is a significant association of lower body strength with HRQoL, and BMI, as well as some variables of depression status in elder women with depression. Better scores in the stand-up test lead to an improvement in HRQoL and BMI. Therefore, stand-up test could be a complementary tool in public health for improve HRQoL in the elderly women with depression.