Change in hand dexterity and habitual gait speed reflects cognitive decline over time in healthy older adults: a longitudinal study

[Purpose] There is a relationship between physical and cognitive functions; therefore, impairment of physical function would mean cognitive decline. This study aimed to investigate the association between change in physical and cognitive functions. [Subjects and Methods] Participants were 169 healthy community-dwelling older adults who attend the survey after three years from baseline (mean age, 72.4 ± 4.8 years). Grip strength, one-leg standing balance, five-times-sit-to-stand test, timed up and go, 5-m habitual walk, and a peg-moving task were used to evaluate physical performance. Five cognitive function tests were used to assess attention, memory, visuospatial function, verbal fluency, and reasoning. Cognitive function was defined as the cumulative score of these tests. [Results] At baseline, five-times-sit-to-stand test, timed up and go, and hand dexterity were independently associated with cognitive function. In longitudinal analyses, changes in habitual walking speed and hand dexterity were significantly associated with change in cognitive function. [Conclusion] Deterioration of specific physical function, such as hand dexterity and walking ability, may be associated with progression of cognitive decline. Decreasing extent of daily functions, such as hand dexterity and walking ability, can be useful indices to grasp changes in cognitive function

Association between difficulty initiating sleep in older adults and the combination of leisure-time physical activity and consumption of milk and milk products: a cross-sectional study

Background: Research has shown that engaging in leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and consuming dairy foods can lead to better sleep. Combining these two non-invasive prescriptions may be more effective for helping people fall asleep. This study investigates whether participating in LTPA in conjunction with consuming milk and milk products has a beneficial association with difficulty initiating sleep (DIS) among older adults. Methods: The present study looked at 421 community-dwelling older people aged 65 years and older living in Ibaraki prefecture, Japan (mean age 74.9 ± 5.5 years, male 43.7%). We measured LTPA and sleep latency with the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, respectively. Participants who needed 30 minutes or more to fall asleep were defined as having DIS. We assessed dairy consumption as participants’ habitual intake of milk, yogurt and cheese. Results: After adjusting for covariates, participants who engaged in sufficient levels of LTPA as well as consumed milk (OR = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.10-0.73) or cheese (OR = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.14-0.85) were less likely to complain of DIS compared with people who neither engaged in LTPA nor ingested milk or cheese. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the combination of engaging in LTPA and consuming milk or cheese is necessary as a prescription to improve falling asleep for older adults suffering from DIS. Additionally, engaging in LTPA along with dairy consumption may effectively improve a problem with falling asleep.peerReviewe

Relationships between Participation in Volunteer-Managed Exercises, Distance to Exercise Facilities, and Interpersonal Social Networks in Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study in Japan

This study aimed to examine the factors related to participation in volunteer-managed preventive care exercises by focusing on the distance to exercise facilities and interpersonal social networks. A postal mail survey was conducted in 2013 in Kasama City in a rural region of Japan. Older adults (aged ≥ 65 years) who were living independently (n = 16,870) were targeted. Potential participants who were aware of silver-rehabili taisou exercise (SRTE) and/or square-stepping exercise (SSE) were included in the analysis (n = 4005). A multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that social and environmental factors were associated with participation in SRTE and SSE. After adjusting for confounding variables, exercise participation was negatively associated with an extensive distance from an exercise facility in both sexes for SRTE and SSE. Among women, participation in SRTE was negatively associated with weak interpersonal social networks (odds ratio (OR) = 0.57), and participation in SRTE and SSE was negatively associated with being a car passenger (SRTE, OR = 0.76; SSE, OR = 0.60). However, there were no significant interactions between sex and social and environmental factors. Our findings suggest the importance of considering location and transportation to promote participation in preventive care exercise