Canadian journal on aging = La revue canadienne du vieillissement, Jan 11, 2017
As the population ages, interest is increasing in studying aging well. However, more refined mean... more As the population ages, interest is increasing in studying aging well. However, more refined means of examining predictors of biopsychosocial conceptualizations of successful aging (SA) are required. Existing evidence of the relationship between early-life education and later-life SA is unclear. The Successful Aging Index (SAI) was mapped onto the Cognitive Function and Aging Study (CFAS), a longitudinal population-based cohort (n = 1,141). SAI scores were examined using growth mixture modelling (GMM) to identify SA trajectories. Unadjusted and adjusted (age, sex, occupational status) ordinal logistic regressions were conducted to examine the association between trajectory membership and education level. GMM identified a three-class model, capturing high, moderate, and low functioning trajectories. Adjusted ordinal logistic regression models indicated that individuals in higher SAI classes were significantly more likely to have higher educational attainment than individuals in the l...
The association between patterns of change in self-rated health (SRH) and memory trajectories in ... more The association between patterns of change in self-rated health (SRH) and memory trajectories in older adults was examined using a systematic approach. Data from the Health and Retirement Study (n = 6,016) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (n = 734) were analyzed. Individuals were grouped into five categories according to their pattern of change in SRH over 8 years: stable excellent/very good/good, stable fair/poor, improvement, decline, and fluctuating pattern without a trend. Memory was measured using immediate and delayed recall tests. Kruskal-Wallis, chi-squares tests, and linear mixed models were used to examine the association. Different rates of decline in memory can be identified in the different patterns of change in SRH. Those who had a stable excellent/very good/good pattern had the slowest rate of decline. Our findings suggest that SRH status and patterns of change could be used as a marker of cognitive decline in prevention screening programs.
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement, 2016
RÉSUMÉ Un indice de vieillissement réussi (SA) a été capturé dans une étude de cohorte longitudin... more RÉSUMÉ Un indice de vieillissement réussi (SA) a été capturé dans une étude de cohorte longitudinale basée sur la population des personnes de 75 ans et plus, qui a été examiné longitudinalement en utilisant la modélisation d’un mélange de croissance (MMC) pour identifier les groupes ayant des trajectoires similaires utilisant la dernière interview complète de personnes décédées et jusqu’à quatre collections de données précédentes avant la mort. MMC a identifié un modèle avec trois classes. Les classes étaient : haut fonctionnement, pas de déclin (HPD); fonctionnement élevé, baisse progressive (HBP); et un faible fonctionnement, fort baisse (FB). Les individus de la classe HPD étaient significativement plus jeunes à la mort, et à la fin de l’examen, se composait de plus d’hommes, et plus susceptibles d’être mariées, comparativement aux individus HBP et FB. Ces résultats démontrent différentes façons dont les individus peuvent éprouver un vieillissement réussi à la fin de vie. Cette é...
Hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are two of the most prevalent health conditions in ... more Hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are two of the most prevalent health conditions in the older adult population. If left untreated or uncontrolled, both may lead to more serious conditions such as heart disease, stroke, or heart attack. Additionally, a growing body of evidence suggests that individuals diagnosed with either HTN or DM are at increased risk for earlier or more dramatic declines than non-diagnosed peers across several cognitive domains (e.g., Arvanitakis et al., 2010; Kuo et al., 2005; van den Berg et al., 2009). Though HTN and DM often co-occur, their impacts on long-term cognitive functioning are typically considered independently. To the best of our knowledge, Hassing et al. (2004) is the only study to have compared impacts of HTN alone, DM alone and comorbid HTN and DM on cognitive level and rate of change. Findings suggested impacts of DM alone and comorbid HTN and DM on rate of cognitive change. However, this approach has not yet been extended to othe...
Hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are two of the most prevalent health conditions in ... more Hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are two of the most prevalent health conditions in the older adult population and both place diagnosed individuals at increased risk for earlier or more dramatic decline in several cognitive domains. Though HTN and DM often co-occur, their impacts on long-term cognitive functioning are typically considered independently. To the best of our knowledge, Hassing et al. (2004) is the only study to have compared impacts of HTN alone, DM alone and comorbid HTN and DM on cognitive level and rate of change in older adults. Here, we extend that approach to three independent longitudinal studies, using multilevel modeling to examine changes in cognitive scores across study occasions for participants diagnosed with comorbid HTN and DM relative to HTN-only and DM-only groups. Considering both conditions together is a critical next step to further our understanding of the roles that they may play in age-related cognitive decline.
Epidemiological studies in pre- and postmenopausal women and older men and women suggest that hig... more Epidemiological studies in pre- and postmenopausal women and older men and women suggest that higher fruit and vegetable intakes have a positive effect on bone health. Mechanisms have been attributed to the high alkali salt content of fruits and vegetables, which counteracts the effects of acid generating foods, such as meat and cereals. A higher dietary acid load has been
International journal of epidemiology, Jan 22, 2015
The DNA methylation-based 'epigenetic clock' correlates strongly with chronological age, ... more The DNA methylation-based 'epigenetic clock' correlates strongly with chronological age, but it is currently unclear what drives individual differences. We examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between the epigenetic clock and four mortality-linked markers of physical and mental fitness: lung function, walking speed, grip strength and cognitive ability. DNA methylation-based age acceleration (residuals of the epigenetic clock estimate regressed on chronological age) were estimated in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 at ages 70 (n = 920), 73 (n = 299) and 76 (n = 273) years. General cognitive ability, walking speed, lung function and grip strength were measured concurrently. Cross-sectional correlations between age acceleration and the fitness variables were calculated. Longitudinal change in the epigenetic clock estimates and the fitness variables were assessed via linear mixed models and latent growth curves. Epigenetic age acceleration at age 70 was used as a ...
Canadian journal on aging = La revue canadienne du vieillissement, Jan 11, 2017
As the population ages, interest is increasing in studying aging well. However, more refined mean... more As the population ages, interest is increasing in studying aging well. However, more refined means of examining predictors of biopsychosocial conceptualizations of successful aging (SA) are required. Existing evidence of the relationship between early-life education and later-life SA is unclear. The Successful Aging Index (SAI) was mapped onto the Cognitive Function and Aging Study (CFAS), a longitudinal population-based cohort (n = 1,141). SAI scores were examined using growth mixture modelling (GMM) to identify SA trajectories. Unadjusted and adjusted (age, sex, occupational status) ordinal logistic regressions were conducted to examine the association between trajectory membership and education level. GMM identified a three-class model, capturing high, moderate, and low functioning trajectories. Adjusted ordinal logistic regression models indicated that individuals in higher SAI classes were significantly more likely to have higher educational attainment than individuals in the l...
The association between patterns of change in self-rated health (SRH) and memory trajectories in ... more The association between patterns of change in self-rated health (SRH) and memory trajectories in older adults was examined using a systematic approach. Data from the Health and Retirement Study (n = 6,016) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (n = 734) were analyzed. Individuals were grouped into five categories according to their pattern of change in SRH over 8 years: stable excellent/very good/good, stable fair/poor, improvement, decline, and fluctuating pattern without a trend. Memory was measured using immediate and delayed recall tests. Kruskal-Wallis, chi-squares tests, and linear mixed models were used to examine the association. Different rates of decline in memory can be identified in the different patterns of change in SRH. Those who had a stable excellent/very good/good pattern had the slowest rate of decline. Our findings suggest that SRH status and patterns of change could be used as a marker of cognitive decline in prevention screening programs.
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement, 2016
RÉSUMÉ Un indice de vieillissement réussi (SA) a été capturé dans une étude de cohorte longitudin... more RÉSUMÉ Un indice de vieillissement réussi (SA) a été capturé dans une étude de cohorte longitudinale basée sur la population des personnes de 75 ans et plus, qui a été examiné longitudinalement en utilisant la modélisation d’un mélange de croissance (MMC) pour identifier les groupes ayant des trajectoires similaires utilisant la dernière interview complète de personnes décédées et jusqu’à quatre collections de données précédentes avant la mort. MMC a identifié un modèle avec trois classes. Les classes étaient : haut fonctionnement, pas de déclin (HPD); fonctionnement élevé, baisse progressive (HBP); et un faible fonctionnement, fort baisse (FB). Les individus de la classe HPD étaient significativement plus jeunes à la mort, et à la fin de l’examen, se composait de plus d’hommes, et plus susceptibles d’être mariées, comparativement aux individus HBP et FB. Ces résultats démontrent différentes façons dont les individus peuvent éprouver un vieillissement réussi à la fin de vie. Cette é...
Hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are two of the most prevalent health conditions in ... more Hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are two of the most prevalent health conditions in the older adult population. If left untreated or uncontrolled, both may lead to more serious conditions such as heart disease, stroke, or heart attack. Additionally, a growing body of evidence suggests that individuals diagnosed with either HTN or DM are at increased risk for earlier or more dramatic declines than non-diagnosed peers across several cognitive domains (e.g., Arvanitakis et al., 2010; Kuo et al., 2005; van den Berg et al., 2009). Though HTN and DM often co-occur, their impacts on long-term cognitive functioning are typically considered independently. To the best of our knowledge, Hassing et al. (2004) is the only study to have compared impacts of HTN alone, DM alone and comorbid HTN and DM on cognitive level and rate of change. Findings suggested impacts of DM alone and comorbid HTN and DM on rate of cognitive change. However, this approach has not yet been extended to othe...
Hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are two of the most prevalent health conditions in ... more Hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are two of the most prevalent health conditions in the older adult population and both place diagnosed individuals at increased risk for earlier or more dramatic decline in several cognitive domains. Though HTN and DM often co-occur, their impacts on long-term cognitive functioning are typically considered independently. To the best of our knowledge, Hassing et al. (2004) is the only study to have compared impacts of HTN alone, DM alone and comorbid HTN and DM on cognitive level and rate of change in older adults. Here, we extend that approach to three independent longitudinal studies, using multilevel modeling to examine changes in cognitive scores across study occasions for participants diagnosed with comorbid HTN and DM relative to HTN-only and DM-only groups. Considering both conditions together is a critical next step to further our understanding of the roles that they may play in age-related cognitive decline.
Epidemiological studies in pre- and postmenopausal women and older men and women suggest that hig... more Epidemiological studies in pre- and postmenopausal women and older men and women suggest that higher fruit and vegetable intakes have a positive effect on bone health. Mechanisms have been attributed to the high alkali salt content of fruits and vegetables, which counteracts the effects of acid generating foods, such as meat and cereals. A higher dietary acid load has been
International journal of epidemiology, Jan 22, 2015
The DNA methylation-based 'epigenetic clock' correlates strongly with chronological age, ... more The DNA methylation-based 'epigenetic clock' correlates strongly with chronological age, but it is currently unclear what drives individual differences. We examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between the epigenetic clock and four mortality-linked markers of physical and mental fitness: lung function, walking speed, grip strength and cognitive ability. DNA methylation-based age acceleration (residuals of the epigenetic clock estimate regressed on chronological age) were estimated in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 at ages 70 (n = 920), 73 (n = 299) and 76 (n = 273) years. General cognitive ability, walking speed, lung function and grip strength were measured concurrently. Cross-sectional correlations between age acceleration and the fitness variables were calculated. Longitudinal change in the epigenetic clock estimates and the fitness variables were assessed via linear mixed models and latent growth curves. Epigenetic age acceleration at age 70 was used as a ...
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Papers by Graciela Muniz