Thoughts on Water

A review of Cecilia Ming Si Chen,  Janine MacLeod and Astrida Neimanis (eds), Thinking with Water (McGill-Queens University Press, 2013)

Cell phone and technology use by octogenarians

INTRODUCTION: Many countries, including New Zealand, have an aging population and new technologies such as cell phones may be useful for older people. AIM: To examine cell phone and technology use by octogenarians. METHODS: Te Puawaitanga O Nga Tapuwae Kia Ora Tonu- Life and Living in Advanced Age: A Cohort Study In New Zealand (LILACs NZ) cohort study data of Māori (aged 80-90 years, 11-year age band) and non-Māori (aged 85 years, 1-year age band) followed for 3 years was used to describe the prevalence among study participants of the use of the internet, cell phones and watching pay-per-view television. Association of these activities with living arrangement, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive respiratory disease and participants' cognition were examined. RESULTS: Technology use was relatively low among study octogenarians. Fewer Māori used cell phones and the internet (16% and 6%) than non-Māori (30% and 19%). Māori participants supported only by a pension were less likely to use cell phones than Māori with more income. More men watched pay-per-view television (e.g. SKY) than women. Living alone and having chronic lung disease were associated with not watching pay-per-view television. Participants who used the internet had higher cognition scores than others. Non-Māori women were less likely to watch pay-per-view television and non-Māori on a pension only were less likely to watch pay-per-view television than people on a higher income. Participants who lived alone were less likely to watch pay-per-view. CONCLUSION: Relatively low use of technology may limit potential for health technology innovation for people of advanced age. Socioeconomic and ethnic disparities will amplify this

Te Ora a Ururoa

Kaitiakitanga, often translated simplistically and conveniently as ‘guardianship’ or ‘stewardship’ has in practice been intensely political - an urgent fight to stop the destruction and despoliation of sacred places and traditional food gathering sites.. Our Marsden-funded project on kaitiakitanga over harbours records the vision, strategy and hard work of Māori activists in protecting Aotearoa’s lands and waters, in the hope that we can learn from this history to clear the space in our legal and policy environment for kaitiakitanga, in its fullness, to be freely exercised. This paper journeys to four harbours – Kāwhia, Aotea, Manukau and Whāngārei - and through time, showing how kaitiaki have fought to protect and regain their authority to care for their harbours in the face of ongoing colonialism

Dietary protein intake and transition between frailty states in octogenarians living in New Zealand

Funding Information: Funding: This research was funded by Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC 09/068B; UoA ref: 3624940) and Ministry of Health New Zealand (MOH ref: 345426/00; UoA ref: 3703221) which funded the project management and data collection work; Nga¯ Pae o te Ma¯ramatanga (UoA ref: 3624946) which funded the Ma¯ori engagement and project management. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Adequate nutritional status may influence progression to frailty. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of frailty and examine the relationship between dietary protein intake and the transition between frailty states and mortality in advanced age. We used data from a longitudinal cohort study of Māori (80–90 years) and non-Māori (85 years). Dietary assessments (24-h multiple pass dietary recalls) were completed at the second year of follow-up (wave 2 and forms the baseline in this study). Frailty was defined using the Fried Frailty criteria. Multi-state modelling examined the association of protein intake and transitions between frailty states and death over four years. Over three quarters of participants were pre-frail or frail at baseline (62% and 16%, respectively). Those who were frail had a higher co-morbidity (p < 0.05), where frailty state changed, 44% showed a worsening of frailty status (robust → pre-frail or pre-frail → frail). Those with higher protein intake (g/kg body weight/day) were less likely to transition from robust to pre-frail [Hazard Ratio (95% Confidence Interval): 0.28 (0.08–0.91)] but also from pre-frail to robust [0.24 (0.06–0.93)]. Increased protein intake was associated with lower risk of transitioning from pre-frailty to death [0.19 (0.04–0.80)], and this association was moderated by energy intake [0.22 (0.03–1.71)]. Higher protein intake in this sample of octogenarians was associated with both better and worse outcomes.publishersversionpublishe

Do household living arrangements explain gender and ethnicity differences in receipt of support services? Findings from LiLACS NZ Māori and non-Māori advanced age cohorts

Services providing practical support are a key component in the spectrum of social care assisting older people to age in place. Te Puāwaitanga o Ngā Tapuwae Kia Ora Tonu/Life and Living in Advanced Age: A Cohort Study in New Zealand (LiLACS NZ), a longitudinal study of Māori and non-Māori in advanced age, aims to determine predictors of successful ageing and to understand trajectories of health and wellbeing. This paper investigates whether household living arrangements (living alone or with others) might explain previously reported gender and ethnic differences in support service utilisation. We had shown that women and non-Māori received more services than men and Māori despite better health. The results of analyses in this paper show that, as expected, poorer physical function led to increased service use. After controlling for functional status, household living arrangements (living alone) were the next strongest driver of service use. In a fully adjusted model, previously observed differences around gender and ethnicity were no longer significant predictors of support service use. However, gender and ethnicity do shape living arrangements in advanced age. Women in advanced age are more likely to live alone, consequently needing more outside support, whereas men are more likely to have a spouse/partner able to provide care. Māori are more likely to live in multigenerational households, the care available at home meaning they are less likely to qualify for formal support. This study points to a need for understanding how gender and ethnicity interact with living arrangements and suggests that inequities may not be absent when the presence of others in a household renders an older person ineligible for formal care

Multidisciplinary Research Collaborations, Vision Mātauranga Science, and the Potential of Anthropology in Aotearoa-New Zealand

Vision Mātauranga policy has been created to commodify and globalise Māori knowledge that belongs to Māori communities, and is now the expected mechanism for all engagement between university researchers and Māori communities. However, much of the risk associated with forming new collaborations rests with Māori communities, and even more so with the Māori researchers who act as intermediaries and brokers between these communities and the research team. In this new knowledge landscape what opportunities and spaces for action does Vision Mātauranga hold for social anthropology? Furthermore, how does Vision Mātauranga force anthropology to be more inclusive of the descendants of Maori ancestors on whose backs the discipline was built

Dietary Protein Intake and Physical Function in Māori and Non-Māori Adults of Advanced Age in New Zealand: LiLACS NZ

The population of older adults is growing exponentially. Research shows that current protein intake recommendations are unlikely to meet the ageing requirements and may be linked to reduced physical function. Ensuring optimal function levels is crucial for independence and quality of life in older age. This study aims to quantify the protein intake in those over 90 years of age and determine the association between historical protein intake (2011) and subsequent physical function at ten years follow-up (2021). Eighty-one participants (23 Māori and 54 non-Māori) undertook dietary assessment 24 h multiple-pass recall (MPR) and a standardised health and social questionnaire with physical assessment in 2011 and 2021. Intake24, a virtual 24 h MPR, was utilised to analyse dietary intake. Functional status was measured using the Nottingham Extended Activities of Daily Living Scale (NEADL), and physical performance was the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Māori men and women consumed less protein (g/day) in 2021 than in 2011 (P = 0.043 in men), but weight-adjusted protein intake in Māori participants over the ten years was not significantly reduced. Both non-Māori men and women consumed significantly less protein (g/day) between 2011 and 2021 (p = 0.006 and p = 0.001, respectively), which was also significant when protein intake was adjusted for weight in non-Māori women (p = 0.01). Weight-adjusted protein intake in 2011 was independently associated with functional status (NEADL score) in 2021 (p =p = 0.993). Animal protein was replaced with plant-based protein over time. In conclusion, a reduction in protein intake was seen in all participants. The independent association between past protein intake and future functional status supports recommendations to keep protein intake high in advanced age

Intakes, Adequacy, and Biomarker Status of Iron, Folate, and Vitamin B12 in Māori and Non-Māori Octogenarians: Life and Living in Advanced Age: A Cohort Study in New Zealand (LiLACS NZ)

Advanced-age adults may be at risk of iron, folate, and vitamin B12 deficiency due to low food intake and poor absorption. This study aimed to investigate the intake and adequacy of iron, folate, and vitamin B12 and their relationship with respective biomarker status. Face-to-face interviews with 216 Māori and 362 non-Māori included a detailed dietary assessment using 2 × 24-h multiple pass recalls. Serum ferritin, serum iron, total iron binding capacity, transferrin saturation, red blood cell folate, serum folate, serum vitamin B12 and hemoglobin were available at baseline. Regression techniques were used to estimate the association between dietary intake and biomarkers. The Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) was met by most participants (&gt;88%) for dietary iron and vitamin B12 (&gt;74%) but less than half (&gt;42%) for folate. Increased dietary folate intake was associated with increased red blood cell (RBC) folate for Māori (p = 0.001), non-Māori (p = 0.014) and serum folate for Māori (p &lt; 0.001). Folate intake &gt;215 µg/day was associated with reduced risk of deficiency in RBC folate for Māori (p = 0.001). Strategies are needed to optimize the intake and bioavailability of foods rich in folate. There were no significant associations between dietary iron and vitamin B12 intake and their respective biomarkers, serum iron and serum vitamin B12