Older adults' perceptions of online physical exercise management

The study addresses the challenges of digitally transforming physical exercises for older adults (aged more than 55 years) to be performed in virtual environments (during the COVID-19 pandemic) as a long-term proactive strategic initiative in response to the global ageing society and technological development trend. A focus group with a sample of 24 older adults and three trainers were used as part of a 3-month physical exercise pilot conducted by the Jožef Stefan Institute to identify the skills and well-being gained and identify factors that influence success with online exercises for older adults on the individual and organisational levels. First, on the individual level, communication differences were identified when comparing face-to-face exercises with online exercises. Second, on the organisational level, the study identified several challenges arising from the digital transformation of exercises (i.e., onboarding, technical, structural, isolation and motivational). Finally, recommendations are proposed to transform older adults' exercises when performed in a virtual environment. The study results can also benefit health management practices and theory in the work environment to ensure that older workers can still utilise their strengths to perform successfully while remaining healthy. Online physical exercises tailored to older adults' needs and specifications could be provided as part of corporate wellness programmes in organisations.

How Nutritious Are French Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) from the Citizen Science Experiment?

French beans are tender, immature, edible pods that are harvested early in the plant's growth cycle and are usually eaten cooked. The growth habits of French beans were studied for the first time in a Citizen Science experiment, and 19 pod samples were collected for further nutritional analysis. Various macronutrients (e.g., protein, ash, fat, carbohydrates, amino acids) and multi-element profiles were determined. A survey of their growing habits revealed that beans are usually planted once or twice a year in May and June at a length of 5-10 m, with a predominance of dwarf beans cultivation over climbing varieties, and pest resistance and stringless pods are the most important characteristics when deciding on a bean. Homogenised freeze-dried pod samples contained 16.1-23.1% protein, 4.5-8.2% ash, 0.1-1.1% fat, and 62.0-70.6% carbohydrates and had a caloric value of 337-363 kcal/100 g. Of the 17 free amino acids identified, 8 were essential (histidine, threonine, methionine, valine, lysine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine) and 9 were non-essential (cysteine, aspartic acid, serine, glutamic acid, glycine, arginine, alanine, proline, tyrosine); meanwhile, of the 12 elements, 5 were macroelements and 7 were microelements. The predominant free amino acids were aspartic acid, glutamic acid, and serine. In the multiple comparisons (Box and Whisker plot), the parameters caloric value and iron showed the strongest response. A very strong positive significant Pearson correlation (≥0.95) was found for five pairs of variables within the free amino acids. Comparison of the nutrient data obtained in the pods showed near-perfect or high complementarity (85.2-103.4%) with the food composition databases for half of the parameters, suggesting that the home-grown French beans from the Citizen Science experiment are a highly nutritious vegetable.

Impact of information technology supported serious leisure gardening on the wellbeing of older adults: The Turntable project

OBJECTIVE

The study presented in this paper aimed to assess the effect of an Information Technology enabled community gardening program for older adults, developed by an international consortium.

METHODS

We have executed a quantitative, pre- and post-test field trial with older adult volunteers to test the proposed programme in two European countries, Italy and Belgium (n=98). We used standardized and ad hoc questionnaires to measure changes in the volunteers' mental and psychological state during the trial. The statistical data analysis sought for differences in the pre- and post-test values of the key scores related to the perceived quality of life and benefits of gardening via paired-samples t-tests, and also tried to identify the important factors of significant changes via logistic regression.

RESULTS

We found significant improvements in the perceived benefits of gardening and also in the scores computed from the WHO Quality of Life instruments, especially in the social sub-domains. The improvements were associated with the country, age, marital state and education of the volunteers. Higher age or being widow, divorced or single increased the odds of a significant improvement in the scores in more than one sub-domains.

CONCLUSION

Though the two trial settings were different in some aspects, the observed significant improvements generally confirmed the positive effects of gardening concerning the perceived quality of life and benefits of gardening.

How effective are health messages/warnings in improving knowledge and awareness of alcohol-related harm? The Slovenian case on using a mobile app

BACKGROUND

Consumers generally lack access to information on alcoholic beverages, in spite of it being readily available for food and non-alcoholic beverages. Given the rights of consumers, and as with other products harmful to the population, there have been increasing calls for health warnings to be placed on alcoholic beverages, similar to those implemented on tobacco products. The aim of our research was to assess whether knowledge and awareness of the risks and harms associated with alcohol can be improved with a mobile app.

METHODS

Intervention was conducted using VKJ mobile app, which enables users to scan the barcode of an alcoholic beverage and receive feedback on its labelled alcohol content and estimated energy value. At each search, eleven different health messages/warnings about the risks and harms of alcohol are also displayed randomly, rotating on the screen. A survey was conducted before and after the intervention, to assess the knowledge and awareness of the risks and harms associated with drinking alcohol.

RESULTS

Significant differences were found for eight of the twelve tested statements. The improvement was seen to a greater extent in the group of high-risk drinkers. The results also showed that the vast majority of participants (78%) who were exposed to the health messages supported mandatory labelling of alcoholic beverages with information on ingredient listing and energy value, and 72% would like to have health warnings on alcohol products.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of a mobile app can be an option to improve knowledge and raise awareness of the risks and harms related to alcohol.

How Well Did the Healthcare System Respond to the Healthcare Needs of Older People with and without Dementia during the COVID-19 Pandemic? The Perception of Healthcare Providers and Older People from the SI4CARE Project in the ADRION Region

One major challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic was the limited accessibility to healthcare facilities, especially for the older population. The aim of the current study was the exploration of the extent to which the healthcare systems responded to the healthcare needs of the older people with or without cognitive impairment and their caregivers in the Adrion/Ionian region. Data were collected through e-questionnaires regarding the adequacy of the healthcare system and were anonymously administered to older individuals and stakeholder providers in the following countries: Slovenia, Italy (Calabria), Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Montenegro, and Serbia. Overall, 722 older people and 267 healthcare stakeholders participated in the study. During the COVID-19 pandemic, both healthcare stakeholders and the older population claimed that the healthcare needs of the older people and their caregivers increased dramatically in all countries, especially in Italy (Calabria), Croatia and BiH. According to our results, countries from the Adrion/Ionian regions faced significant challenges to adjust to the special needs of the older people during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was possibly due to limited accessibility opportunities to healthcare facilities. These results highlight the need for the development of alternative ways of providing medical assistance and supervision when in-person care is not possible.

Branded Foods Databases as a Tool to Support Nutrition Research and Monitoring of the Food Supply: Insights From the Slovenian Composition and Labeling Information System

Branded foods databases are becoming very valuable not only in nutrition research but also for clinical practice, policymakers, businesses, and general population. In contrast to generic foods, branded foods are marked by rapid changes in the food supply because of reformulations, the introduction of new foods, and the removal of existing ones from the market. Also, different branded foods are available in different countries. This not only complicates the compilation of branded foods datasets but also causes such datasets to become out of date quickly. In this review, we present different approaches to the compilation of branded foods datasets, describe the history and progress of building and updating such datasets in Slovenia, and present data to support nutrition research and monitoring of the food supply. Manufacturers are key sources of information for the compilation of branded foods databases, most commonly through food labels. In Slovenia, the branded food dataset is compiled using standard food monitoring studies conducted at all major retailers. Cross-sectional studies are conducted every few years, in which the food labels of all available branded foods are photographed. Studies are conducted using the Composition and Labeling Information System (CLAS) infrastructure, composed of a smartphone application for data collection and online data extraction and management tool. We reviewed various uses of branded foods datasets. Datasets can be used to assess the nutritional composition of food in the food supply (i.e., salt, sugar content), the use of specific ingredients, for example, food additives, for nutrient profiling, and assessment of marketing techniques on food labels. Such datasets are also valuable for other studies, for example, assessing nutrient intakes in dietary surveys. Additional approaches are also being tested to keep datasets updated between food monitoring studies. A promising approach is the exploitation of crowdsourcing through the mobile application VešKajJeš, which was launched in Slovenia to support consumers in making healthier dietary choices.

Can telerehabilitation games lead to functional improvement of upper extremities in individuals with Parkinson's disease?

Parkinson's disease (PD) is treated by medication, less with deep brain stimulation and physiotherapy. Different opinions on the clinical meaningfulness of the physiotherapy or recommended intensive physiotherapy were found. Our objectives were to design intensive target-based physiotherapy for upper extremities suitable for telerehabilitation services and examine the clinical meaningfulness of the exergaming at an unchanged medication plan. A telerehabilitation exergaming system using the Kinect sensor was developed; 28 patients with PD participated in the study. The system followed the participants' movements and adapted the difficulty level of the game in real time. The outcomes of the study showed that seven out of 26 participants could set up the equipment at home alone. Clinical outcomes of Box and Blocks Test (mean: 47 vs. 52, P=0.002, Cohen's d=0.40), UPDRS III (mean: 27 vs. 29, P=0.001, d=0.22), and daily activity Jebsen's test; writing a letter (mean: 24.0 vs. 20.6, P=0.003, d=0.23); and moving light objects (mean: 4.4 vs. 3.9, P=0.006, d=0.46) were statistically significant (P<0.05) and considered clinically meaningful. The Nine-Hole Peg Test showed a statistically nonsignificant improvement (mean: 28.0 vs. 26.5, P=0.089, d=0.22). The participants claimed problems with mobility but less with activities of daily living and emotional well-being (PDQ-39). The findings lead to preliminary conclusions that exergaming is feasible, but may require technical assistance, whereas clinically meaningful results could be achieved according to validated instruments and an unchanged medication plan in individuals with PD.