Journal of Applied Gerontology, Ahead of Print.
The association of poor nutritional status with falls-related injuries other than fractures is unclear. Although there are sex differences in poor nutritional status and the rate of falls-related injuries, whether the impacts of poor nutritional status on falls-related injuries differ by sex is unclear. We investigated whether baseline poor nutritional status predicted injurious falls, fall-related minor injuries, and fractures at 3-year follow-up and whether these relationships differed by sex among community-dwelling older adults (N = 3257). We found that being at risk of malnutrition at baseline significantly predicted injurious falls but not minor injuries and fractures at follow-up. Compared to older males at risk of malnutrition at baseline, females at risk of malnutrition were significantly more likely to have injurious falls and minor injuries later. Being at risk of malnutrition predicted injurious falls, especially among older females. Regular nutritional screenings among older females should be implemented to provide prompt interventions against falls.
Category Archives: Sage Journals
Monkeypox outbreak: Psychological distance, risk perception, and support for risk mitigation
Journal of Health Psychology, Ahead of Print.
Building on construal level theory, results from a survey based on a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults (N = 1000) indicate an indirect effect of social distance and temporal distance perception on emotional response, policy support, and vaccination intention through risk perception. This study also reveals that social dominance orientation contributes to perceived psychological distance of the monkeypox outbreak. These results suggest that communication about a public health crisis such as monkeypox needs to emphasize its broader community impact, rather than focusing on the primary population affected.
Building on construal level theory, results from a survey based on a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults (N = 1000) indicate an indirect effect of social distance and temporal distance perception on emotional response, policy support, and vaccination intention through risk perception. This study also reveals that social dominance orientation contributes to perceived psychological distance of the monkeypox outbreak. These results suggest that communication about a public health crisis such as monkeypox needs to emphasize its broader community impact, rather than focusing on the primary population affected.
Feeling well surrounded: Perceived societal support fosters healthy eating
Journal of Health Psychology, Ahead of Print.
Societal resources (e.g. recreational facilities, free online information, healthy food retail) are consistently found to be important facilitators for healthy eating. In the current research, we propose that healthy eating is not only facilitated by the actual available support in society, but equally well by individuals’ subjective perception on how helpful the provided support truly is. We refer to the latter as “perceived societal support” and examine how this influences healthy eating. Across two experimental studies, we observe that perceived societal support positively affects healthy eating: People who perceive the available support as helpful are more likely to choose healthy food over unhealthy food (study 1) and consume less from an unhealthy food product (study 2) compared to people who perceive the available support as less helpful. These findings do not only contribute to existing literature on societal support and healthy eating behavior, but also provide important policy implications.
Societal resources (e.g. recreational facilities, free online information, healthy food retail) are consistently found to be important facilitators for healthy eating. In the current research, we propose that healthy eating is not only facilitated by the actual available support in society, but equally well by individuals’ subjective perception on how helpful the provided support truly is. We refer to the latter as “perceived societal support” and examine how this influences healthy eating. Across two experimental studies, we observe that perceived societal support positively affects healthy eating: People who perceive the available support as helpful are more likely to choose healthy food over unhealthy food (study 1) and consume less from an unhealthy food product (study 2) compared to people who perceive the available support as less helpful. These findings do not only contribute to existing literature on societal support and healthy eating behavior, but also provide important policy implications.
Exploring the Relationship Between Extent of Person-Centered Care Implementation and Staffing Levels in Ohio Nursing Homes
Journal of Applied Gerontology, Ahead of Print.
Background: The Preferences for Everyday Living Inventory (PELI) is a person-centered care (PCC) tool that uncovers/honors older adults’ important preferences. PCC implementation in nursing homes (NHs) often requires additional resources, such as staff time. We explored if PELI implementation is associated with NH staffing levels. Methods: Using NH-year as the unit of observation (n = 1307), 2015 and 2017 data from Ohio NHs was used to examine the relationship between complete versus partial PELI implementation and staffing levels, measured in hours per resident day, for various positions and total nursing staff. Results: Complete PELI implementation was associated with higher nursing staff levels in both for-profits and not-for-profits; however, total nursing staff levels in not-for-profits were higher than for-profits (0.16 vs. 0.09 hours per resident day). The specific nursing staff associated with PELI implementation varied by ownership. Discussion: For NHs to fully implement PCC, a multifaceted approach to improve staffing is needed.
Background: The Preferences for Everyday Living Inventory (PELI) is a person-centered care (PCC) tool that uncovers/honors older adults’ important preferences. PCC implementation in nursing homes (NHs) often requires additional resources, such as staff time. We explored if PELI implementation is associated with NH staffing levels. Methods: Using NH-year as the unit of observation (n = 1307), 2015 and 2017 data from Ohio NHs was used to examine the relationship between complete versus partial PELI implementation and staffing levels, measured in hours per resident day, for various positions and total nursing staff. Results: Complete PELI implementation was associated with higher nursing staff levels in both for-profits and not-for-profits; however, total nursing staff levels in not-for-profits were higher than for-profits (0.16 vs. 0.09 hours per resident day). The specific nursing staff associated with PELI implementation varied by ownership. Discussion: For NHs to fully implement PCC, a multifaceted approach to improve staffing is needed.
Examining the Association of Social Isolation and Smoking in Older Adults
Journal of Applied Gerontology, Ahead of Print.
Background: Tobacco use remains a leading cause of preventable death among older adults, but few studies have examined social isolation as a risk factor for smoking in US. older adults. Methods: Using National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) data, we conducted multivariate analyses of smoking in a sample of 8136 adults ages 65 and older. Results: Social isolation and severe isolation were associated with higher odds of smoking (OR: 2.48 and 5.48, p = 0.002 and p < 0.001). Individuals with mild (OR: 1.46, p = 0.006), moderate (OR: 1.80, p = 0.001), or severe (OR: 3.05, p = 0.001) symptoms of depression/anxiety also had higher odds of smoking. Conclusions: Social isolation is a significant risk factor for smoking in US older adults. Further research is needed to support the development of interventions to reduce social isolation and smoking behavior in older adults.
Background: Tobacco use remains a leading cause of preventable death among older adults, but few studies have examined social isolation as a risk factor for smoking in US. older adults. Methods: Using National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) data, we conducted multivariate analyses of smoking in a sample of 8136 adults ages 65 and older. Results: Social isolation and severe isolation were associated with higher odds of smoking (OR: 2.48 and 5.48, p = 0.002 and p < 0.001). Individuals with mild (OR: 1.46, p = 0.006), moderate (OR: 1.80, p = 0.001), or severe (OR: 3.05, p = 0.001) symptoms of depression/anxiety also had higher odds of smoking. Conclusions: Social isolation is a significant risk factor for smoking in US older adults. Further research is needed to support the development of interventions to reduce social isolation and smoking behavior in older adults.
How public trust and healthcare quality relate to blood donation behavior: Cross-cultural evidence
Journal of Health Psychology, Ahead of Print.
Blood donors are indispensable for enabling a myriad of medical procedures and treatments. We examined how public trust in the healthcare system and healthcare quality relate to individuals’ likelihood of donating blood, using survey data from representative samples of 28 European countries (N = 27,868). Our preregistered analyses revealed that country-level public trust, but not healthcare quality, predicted individual propensity to donate blood. Notably, public trust decreased over time in many countries, while healthcare quality increased. Our results highlight the role of subjective perceptions of the healthcare system, rather than the objective state of healthcare, for blood donation behavior in Europe.
Blood donors are indispensable for enabling a myriad of medical procedures and treatments. We examined how public trust in the healthcare system and healthcare quality relate to individuals’ likelihood of donating blood, using survey data from representative samples of 28 European countries (N = 27,868). Our preregistered analyses revealed that country-level public trust, but not healthcare quality, predicted individual propensity to donate blood. Notably, public trust decreased over time in many countries, while healthcare quality increased. Our results highlight the role of subjective perceptions of the healthcare system, rather than the objective state of healthcare, for blood donation behavior in Europe.
Paperwork, Paradox, and PRN: Psychotropic Medication Deficiencies in Assisted Living
Journal of Applied Gerontology, Ahead of Print.
Individual state approaches to assisted living/residential care (AL/RC) licensing and oversight in the United States result in different practice standards and requirements, including psychotropic medication use. We examined 170 psychotropic medication deficiency citations issued to 152 Oregon AL/RC settings from 2015 to 2019. Applied thematic analysis resulted in the following themes: (1) documentation issues are primarily responsible for noncompliance, (2) unclear parameters place direct care workers in a role paradox, and (3) there is a persistent disconnect about when to seek qualified expertise before requesting psychotropic medications. AL/RC-specific mechanisms for medication prescription and administration are necessary to improve the structure and processes of care. Policymakers might consider how regulations unintentionally incentivize task-oriented versus person-centered care practices.
Individual state approaches to assisted living/residential care (AL/RC) licensing and oversight in the United States result in different practice standards and requirements, including psychotropic medication use. We examined 170 psychotropic medication deficiency citations issued to 152 Oregon AL/RC settings from 2015 to 2019. Applied thematic analysis resulted in the following themes: (1) documentation issues are primarily responsible for noncompliance, (2) unclear parameters place direct care workers in a role paradox, and (3) there is a persistent disconnect about when to seek qualified expertise before requesting psychotropic medications. AL/RC-specific mechanisms for medication prescription and administration are necessary to improve the structure and processes of care. Policymakers might consider how regulations unintentionally incentivize task-oriented versus person-centered care practices.
Assessment of implicit COVID-19 attitudes using affective priming for pro-vaccine and vaccine-hesitant individuals
Journal of Health Psychology, Ahead of Print.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the introduction of pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions such as precautionary behaviours. The current study used affective priming to evaluate COVID-19 attitudes in vaccine-hesitant and pro-vaccine participants. Explicitly, both groups rated their overall perception of risk associated with contracting COVID-19 significantly lower compared to their perception of necessary precautions and overall adherence to public health measures. Pro-vaccine participants rated their perception of necessary precautions higher compared to vaccine-hesitant participants. During baseline measures, both groups classified COVID-19 affiliated words as unpleasant. Affective priming was observed for congruent prime-target pleasant and unpleasant word pairs but was not observed for COVID-19 related word pairs. Differences between groups in the perception of necessary public health precautions points to different underlying pathways for reduced perceived risk and lack of affective priming. These results refine previous findings indicating that implicit attitudes towards COVID-19 can be measured using the affective priming paradigm.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the introduction of pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions such as precautionary behaviours. The current study used affective priming to evaluate COVID-19 attitudes in vaccine-hesitant and pro-vaccine participants. Explicitly, both groups rated their overall perception of risk associated with contracting COVID-19 significantly lower compared to their perception of necessary precautions and overall adherence to public health measures. Pro-vaccine participants rated their perception of necessary precautions higher compared to vaccine-hesitant participants. During baseline measures, both groups classified COVID-19 affiliated words as unpleasant. Affective priming was observed for congruent prime-target pleasant and unpleasant word pairs but was not observed for COVID-19 related word pairs. Differences between groups in the perception of necessary public health precautions points to different underlying pathways for reduced perceived risk and lack of affective priming. These results refine previous findings indicating that implicit attitudes towards COVID-19 can be measured using the affective priming paradigm.
Hope, quality of life, and psychological distress in patients on peritoneal dialysis: A cross-sectional study
Journal of Health Psychology, Ahead of Print.
Hope is a goal-directed thought that reflects the sense of control over uncertainties and can promote adjustment to chronic illness. This study aimed to assess the level of hope among patients on peritoneal dialysis and evaluate the association of hope with health-related quality of life and psychological distress. This cross-sectional study included 134 Chinese patients receiving peritoneal dialysis in Hong Kong. Patients’ level of hope was assessed using the Adult Trait Hope Scale. Participants who were employed, had a higher income, and received automated peritoneal dialysis reported a higher hope score. Hope was found to have significant correlations with age and social support. A higher hope score was associated with better mental well-being and less severe depressive symptoms. Specific relationships between agency/pathway thinking and these outcomes were identified. The patient subgroups at risk for losing hope need to be identified and received early interventions to prevent adverse outcomes.
Hope is a goal-directed thought that reflects the sense of control over uncertainties and can promote adjustment to chronic illness. This study aimed to assess the level of hope among patients on peritoneal dialysis and evaluate the association of hope with health-related quality of life and psychological distress. This cross-sectional study included 134 Chinese patients receiving peritoneal dialysis in Hong Kong. Patients’ level of hope was assessed using the Adult Trait Hope Scale. Participants who were employed, had a higher income, and received automated peritoneal dialysis reported a higher hope score. Hope was found to have significant correlations with age and social support. A higher hope score was associated with better mental well-being and less severe depressive symptoms. Specific relationships between agency/pathway thinking and these outcomes were identified. The patient subgroups at risk for losing hope need to be identified and received early interventions to prevent adverse outcomes.
Psychological experiences of patients recovering from severe COVID-19 in rehabilitation: A qualitative study
Journal of Health Psychology, Ahead of Print.
The aim of this study was to describe the experiences of post-sedation COVID-19 patients in rehabilitation. Eleven Israeli men and women were interviewed in semi-structured interviews. They were patients recovering in a neurological rehabilitation unit from severe COVID-19 post-mechanical ventilation and sedation. Five themes were generated through thematic analysis: “an unexpected turn of events,” “filling the gaps,” “emotional reactions,” “ambiguity regarding medical condition,” and “sense and meaning-making.” Findings suggest a need for improved communication between patients and medical staff to enhance a sense of control and coherence. Psychological support should be considered to facilitate sense and meaning-making processes during hospitalization.
The aim of this study was to describe the experiences of post-sedation COVID-19 patients in rehabilitation. Eleven Israeli men and women were interviewed in semi-structured interviews. They were patients recovering in a neurological rehabilitation unit from severe COVID-19 post-mechanical ventilation and sedation. Five themes were generated through thematic analysis: “an unexpected turn of events,” “filling the gaps,” “emotional reactions,” “ambiguity regarding medical condition,” and “sense and meaning-making.” Findings suggest a need for improved communication between patients and medical staff to enhance a sense of control and coherence. Psychological support should be considered to facilitate sense and meaning-making processes during hospitalization.