bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The influence of cognitive function on adherence to breast cancer screening among older American women
Authors: Li Chien-Ching , Flores Fritzi , Matthews Alicia K , James Bryan , Shah Raj 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Cognitive decline and impairment among older adults have become an important public health issue. Previous research shows older women have a greater prevalence of Alzheimer's disease than Men. Among women, breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer. Over half of breast cancer deaths occur in women aged 65 and older. Therefore, early detection of breast cancer through mammogram screening is important among older women. This study aimed to examine the influence of cognitive function on adherence to mammogram breast cancer screening among older American women aged 65 and older. Data from the Health and Retirement Study (2012-2016) was obtained and analyzed. The independent variable of the study was cognitive function (normal, not normal). Adherence to mammogram (low, moderate, high) was the dependent variable. Multinomial regression was performed to examine the association between cognitive function and adherence to mammogram after controlling for demographic covariates. In the study, 33.3% of respondents had impaired cognitive function and 21.7% showed low adherence to mammogram screening. Regression results found that older women with impaired cognitive function were more likely to be in low adherence group (OR=1.30, p=0.01) or moderate adherence group (OR=1.47, p&lt;0.001) relatively to be in high adherence group compared to older women with normal cognitive function. The development and implementation of interventions are needed for reducing barriers to accessing cancer screening services in high-risk vulnerable populations. This submission is considered late-breaking research because study findings were obtained from a recently completed student's master's project.
Transnational Caregiving for Older Adults and Caregivers’ Wellness in Japanese Americans during the Pandemic
Authors: Hoshino Kazumi , Tseng Winston , Kamide Kei 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Global migration has greatly affected intergenerational family support beyond national borders, in particular adult children’s transnational family caregiving for elderly parents. Specifically, the COVID-19 pandemic has largely influenced transnational caregiving due to the travel restrictions. Transnational caregiving for older adults includes adult children’s periodical returning to their home country and/or adult children’s caregiving for their parents in their settled country. The goal of this study was to identify trajectories between adult children’s transnational caregiving for their parents and caregivers’ wellness in Japanese Americans before and during the pandemic. We conducted semi-structured interviews with Japanese Americans 40 to 59 years of age (N=20) in California before the lockdown and during the increasing number of patients infected with the Delta variant. The qualitative data analysis showed some Japanese Americans periodically returned to Japan to provide caregiving for their parents before the pandemic, while others didn’t. However, the former group currently relied on their families in their home country more than before. The limitations led to not only distress over uncertainty but also release from a strong sense of reciprocity and filial responsibility, by changing from physical support to emotional and financial support via online. They also enhanced cultural identity as Japanese Americans, by thriving from discrimination against Asian Americans. Thus, our findings demonstrate important factors that impacted on transnational caregiving and caregivers' wellness, including cultural identity, family norms, beliefs and practices of intergenerational support, social and historical contexts, financial remittance, ICT use, and healthcare policies among the underrepresented populations across the Pacific.
“For me, it's connection”: Older Adults Experience with Technology during COVID-19
Authors: Miller Vivian , Lee HeeSoon , Roark Erin 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
As a result of COVID-19, older adults have experienced isolation, lost social contacts, and a decrease in connections. A recent study found that “approximately one-quarter of community-dwelling older adults are considered to be socially isolated, and 43% of them report feeling lonely.” Various innovative interventions have emerged, including technology-based interventions as a means to reduce social isolation in older adults, particularly as information communication technology (ICT) use is on the rise among this population. However, it remains to be known how these connections are faring for older adults in the pandemic and whether these ICT connections lead to greater or lesser feelings of social connectedness. Thirty-nine (N=39) in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore the lived experiences of technology use among older adults during COVID-19. Participants experiences with ICT ranged from illiterate to savvy. Most participants indicated Zoom was the primary means to stay socially connected to family and friends. Participants emphasized that ICT may be a possible solution to deal with loneliness for those older adults who are especially isolated due to COVID-19 restrictions. Barriers and challenges to ICT use included taking too much time to use and needing help to fix any problems that arose. Finally, participants shared essential aspects of ICT use, revealing that it was ‘technology or nothing.’ Findings from this study indicate a need for a simple ICT for the older adult population. Moreover, findings suggest opportunities for peer-support ICT training programs for older adults.
Can Remote Monitoring Measure Life Activity and Caregiver Experience? Early Results of Multi-modal Assessments
Authors: Dawson Walter , Lindauer Allison , Gothard Sarah , Tran Leslie , Beattie Zachary , Kaye Jeffrey 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Subjective assessments of dementia caregiver burden are vulnerable to recall and recency biases. Objective continuous home assessment using passive technologies (e.g., bed mats, actigraphy watches) can provide ecologically valid detail on caregiver stress and family function. We tested the utility of objective assessment of activity before, during and after the behavioral intervention of STELLA (Support via Technology: Living and Learning with Advancing AD) which facilitates effective online management of behavioral symptoms of dementia. We present preliminary data on objective measures of sleep and step counts, and subjective measures of burden. We captured data from three caregivers caring for a family member with dementia. Each family lives in home with unobtrusive monitoring devices that recorded data on sleep (Emfit sleep mat) and daily steps (Withings watch). Self-report assessments of burden, depression and grief were collected prior to and after the 2-month intervention. Objective data was collected continuously. Pre/post subjective assessments suggest that the STELLA intervention has the potential to reduce behavioral symptom frequency and caregiver reactivity to symptoms (pre-STELLA behavior frequency=44.9, post=39.2; pre-STELLA reactivity=50.5; post=38.5). Step count ranged from 775 steps/day to 5065, with each participant trending fewer steps during the intervention. Mean sleep time ranged from 6.3 to 8.6 hours and didn’t change during the intervention. The small sample size limits interpretation but provides evidence that it is feasible to collect continuous objective life-activity data during caregiver interventions. This digital data has the potential to inform the validity of subjective findings by limiting recall and recency biases.
Racial Differences in the Erosion of Psychological Resilience Following COVID-19 Related Financial Hardship
Authors: Taylor Miles , Carr Dawn , Jason Kendra 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Objectives: Research on the impact of COVID-19 among older adults has primarily focused on virus outcomes, but it is also possible the pandemic’s hardships have eroded the adaptive capacity of older adults. It is also likely these impacts vary by race and ethnicity. We examine changes in psychological resilience (PR) among older adults pre and post-pandemic to determine whether financial and social hardships have altered this resource for White, Black, and Hispanic older adults. Method: Using the COVID module recently released by the HRS (n=735), we examined changes in PR between 2016 and 2020 related to specific COVID experiences. We tested interactions to determine whether the effects of these experiences were conditioned by race and ethnicity. Results: Consistent with previous literature, resilience was relatively stable during this time on average. Financial hardship due to COVID-19 diminished resilience, but this effect was concentrated primarily among White Americans. PR was unchanged related to financial hardship among Black Americans. Discussion: The results suggest that PR is a relatively stable resource in later life, even during a pandemic. However, this resource may be impacted in the face of specific and especially new challenges in later life. Policies and interventions related to job loss and financial hardship during the pandemic should be seen as supporting the capacity for older adults to adapt to current as well as future challenges.
Developing Behavioral Markers of Social Function in Aging: A Methodology Using Pitch Mimicry
Authors: Williams Christine , Tognoli Emmanuelle , Wead Alice , Beetle Christopher , McKinley Joseph 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
The Covid pandemic brought to the forefront the crucial role of social interactions for society at large and in gerontological practice. Social interactions play a paramount role in preserving cognitive reserve in older adults. They rely on neurobehavioral processes that are complex (engage large parts of the brain and demand integrity of multiple perceptuomotor, attentional, cognitive and memory functions). Pitch mimicry is a well-known and spontaneously arising social phenomenon that requires the integrity of numerous processes of the brain, and we hypothesize that it constitutes a potentially sensitive behavioral marker of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). We developed and validated a series of algorithms to parse verbal exchanges between people and quantify the level of mimicry that each exhibit with their partners. Those algorithms are based on silence thresholding, carefully parametrized CEPSTRAL algorithms for automatic pitch estimation and Synchrosqueezing Transform for validation. We introduce a theoretical model to compare our estimates of pitch mimicry with model’s expectations based on the null hypothesis that its neurobehavioral pathways retain their integrity. Our method will allow researchers to study the evolution of pitch mimicry in aging individuals and its sensitivity to diverse social contexts, including those preserving lasting social engagement. Our method will also allow us to test the hypothesis that Pitch Mimicry is a sensitive behavioral marker of dementia, a condition characterized by a breakdown in social relatedness.
Developmental Analysis of Prospective Effects of Problem Drinking and Health Problems in Three-Age Groups
Authors: Kwan Thomas , Bowlby Douglas , Lee Matthew 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Past research has clearly demonstrated interrelations between drinking and health. However, little research has investigated this from a lifespan-development perspective, which is the objective of the current study. Our hypotheses predicted results consistent with the familiar “J-shaped curve” of drinking effects on health, including that health problems would be (1) lower in moderate drinkers than abstainers and (2) higher in excessive drinkers than moderate drinkers. We also hypothesized that these protective effects of moderate drinking would increase with age across the lifespan. The current study used two waves of data from a large U.S.-representative sample. Analyses used 3*3 between-persons ANCOVAs that tested a three-level Wave-1 drinking-group factor and a three-level Wave-1 age-group factor. Of particular importance were the drinking-group-by-age interactions. Various Wave-2 health outcomes were predicted in different ANCOVAs, and each ANCOVA controlled for Wave-1 levels of the Wave-2 health outcome. Across nearly all health outcomes, young adults did not show significant differences between abstainers and moderate drinkers, whereas midlife and older adults consistently showed better health for moderate drinking versus abstainers. This suggests that protective effects of moderate drinking apply more-so to midlife and older adults than young adults. Surprisingly, excessive drinkers generally did not show poorer health than moderate drinkers, except for mixed evidence for such effects only among older adults. Thus, only older adults showed patterns entirely consistent with our hypothesized “J-shaped curve.” A next analytic step we will conduct in advance of this poster presentation will assess if alternative excessive-drinking operationalizations more consistently signal health problems.
Examining the Impact of Individual and Shared Biological Risks on Health among Older Married Couples
Authors: Su Tai-Te , Meija Shannon , Gonzalez Richard 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Relationship research has suggested that health among spouses is interdependent and should be considered jointly. Using data from the 2008/2010 and 2016/2018 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (3858 qualified couples; age=67.0±9.6), we investigated the joint influence of married partners’ individual and shared cumulative biological risk on future health outcomes. Two risk indicators were constructed to indicate biological health in different domains. Individual grip strength, walk speed, lung function, and cystatin-C were biomarkers selected to construct frailty risk whereas blood pressure, pulse, waist circumference, C-reactive protein, glycohemoglobin, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and total cholesterol were biomarkers used to construct cardiometabolic risk. Shared risk was calculated as the number of risks the partners shared. We employed multilevel Poisson regression models to nest partners within couples and examine the effects of individual and shared cumulative risks on future functional limitations. Heckman correction was performed to correct potential selection bias. Our unadjusted models showed individual (frailty: b=0.22, p&lt;.001; cardiometabolic: b=0.10, p&lt;.001) and shared (frailty: b=0.17, p&lt;.001; cardiometabolic: b=0.08, p&lt;.01) risks are associated with greater future functional limitations. Further, shared cardiometabolic risk moderated the effect of individual risk (b=-0.01, p&lt;.05). In the adjusted models, the direct associations between shared risks and future functional limitations were explained by indicators of partner selection and shared experiences. In the fully adjusted model, the cross-level interaction for frailty risk became statistically significant. The unique set of dynamics shown in our study offered new insights into understanding how couples influence one another in the context of multisystem biological health.
Hospital, Emergency Department, and Home Health Use in Older Adults with Sensory Impairment
Authors: Wallace Laura , Hirschman Karen , Naylor Mary , Huang Liming , Cacchione Pamela 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Hearing, vision, and dual (combined hearing and vision) sensory impairments (HI, VI, and DSI) are common in older adults and associated with adverse health outcomes. However, it is not clear how sensory impairments impact healthcare utilization in older adults. This study aims to examine hospital, emergency department (ED), and home health care use amongst adults 65 and older diagnosed with HI, VI, and DSI in an urban academic health system. This secondary analysis (N=45,000) used a limited data subset of older adult primary care patients’ EHR data from a parent study examining medical complexity, healthcare use, and social vulnerability. Using logistic regression and controlling for participant demographics and comorbidities, results show HI, VI, and DSI increase the likelihood of having an ED visit (OR 1.29, p&lt;.0001; OR 1.28, p=0.0011; OR 1.50, p=.0328, respectively) and a home health episode (hearing OR 1.41, p&lt;.0001; vision OR 1.42, p=.0002) compared to those without sensory impairment (SI). No significant difference was found in hospital use and home health use for DSI. This is the first known study to examine ED use for older adults with VI and DSI, and home health use for older adults with SI in the US. Findings suggest older adults with SI have greater utilization and dependence on healthcare services. Older adults with SI may benefit from outpatient assessments and interventions to mitigate risks of ED use. Findings also support research into the drivers of healthcare use amongst this population, financial implications, and intervention development to prevent avoidable healthcare use.
Impact of Restricted Contact between Grandparents and Grandchildren during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Klusmann Verena , Cengiz Sara , Materna Carina , Spreckels Christian 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
To combat the COVID-19 pandemic strict contact restrictions have been imposed on institutions for both older and younger people, social structures have been locked down, families have been urged to reduce contact with older relatives, and people over 65 have been temporarily banned from their workplaces and from attending events, both in public and private spaces. These measures are assumed to have a number of psychosocial consequences. For this questionnaire study, 268 pupils (7-to-10 years-old) of nine different schools in Hamburg, Germany, with different social index were asked about how they experienced, perceived, and behaved during the COVID-19 pandemic. 75% of the children reported on restricted contact to their grandparents: While 41% did not meet their grandparents at least for a certain time at the beginning of the pandemic, 34% did not meet their grandparents during the whole first year of the pandemic. Of those who met their grandparents, 25% kept physical distance to them. These contact restrictions were significantly higher in schools with a lower social index, chi2(8)=15.49, p=.05. Those children who never met their grandparents also reported on higher perceived stress, t(220)=-2.37, p=.019, d=-.33, tended to have lower subjective well-being, t(223)=-1.73, p=.09, d=-.24, and had higher risk perceptions concerning COVID-19 infections, t(223)=-2.18, p=.03, d=-.31. Hence social isolation and loneliness is not only an issue for older people themselves, but contact restrictions also potentially increase the stress load and impair the well-being of children who have to do without support and care of their grandparents in sensitive developmental phases.
In-home Online Music Therapy for Psychological Health among Caregivers of Persons with Dementia: A Pilot Study
Authors: Kim Hyejin , Engström Gabriella , Theorell Töres , Emami Azita 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Family caregivers who provide care to persons with dementia (PWD) in a home setting may feel greater stress, depressive symptoms, or struggle to deal with issues in their lives. Indeed, PWD often require 24-hour care that includes ensuring safety, providing emotional support, and assistance with activities of daily living and multiple instrumental activities of daily living. This study examined the short-term effects of an online music intervention on stress, coping, and depression among caregivers of PWD. We included 35 caregivers (n=24 [intervention group], n=11 [comparison group]) living at home with their family member with dementia. Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon signed-ranked test were performed to examine between- and within-group differences from baseline to eight weeks after the intervention. The coping subscale yielded a significant difference between the groups at post-test (U=76.50, Z= -1.978, p=0.048), indicating the intervention group had better coping than the comparison group at post-test. Significant within-group differences in overall stress (Z= -2.200, p= 0.028) and coping subscale (Z= -1.997, p=0.046) in the comparison group at post-test suggest that overall stress and coping were maintained from baseline to post-test in the intervention group, whereas the comparison group had significantly higher overall stress and lower coping at post-test. This home-based online music program showed potential benefits for caregivers of PWD by taking into account participants’ musical preferences and ease of access to the program. A randomized controlled trial with a larger sample size and objective measurements of stress and depressive symptoms (e.g., biomarkers) should be conducted in the future.
The Effect of a Virtual Reality Delivered Physical Activity Intervention on the Physical Function of Older Adults
Authors: Kershner Kyle , Fanning Jason , Furlipa Joy , Brubaker Peter , Brooks Amber , Page Lindsey , Ehlers Diane 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
COVID-19 public health recommendations have prohibited many older adults from attending in-person physical activity (PA) programs that improve physical function and promote functional independence. Most PA programs have shifted towards a video conference (VC) format, but this modality has been noted to “flatten” the social experience which is fundamental for lasting behavior change. Virtual reality (VR) is now designed for immersion and place-presence and may be better suited for instilling a feeling of social connection, which will likely improve physical function. The purpose of this study was to evaluate differences in physical function after a 4-week in-home VR or VC based PA intervention. Low-active adults (66.8±4.8 years) were randomized to VR (n=5) or VC (n=4) based PA counselling and instructed to find activities that were intrinsically motivating. VR participants were asked to select pre-approved available active games in addition to enjoyable real-world activities. ANCOVA models were used to explore group differences in six-minute walk distances across time. Results are reported using η^2 effect sizes based on the small sample size. After controlling for baseline values, the ANCOVA models revealed a moderate-to-large magnitude effect for distance traveled during the six-minute walk test (η^2=.10). Additionally, the VR group participants walked 42.63 meters further, which approaches a clinically meaningful difference. These promising early findings suggest there is value to exploring the impact of VR-delivered, group-mediated activity promotion on physical functioning in older adults. Future research should investigate aspects of VR that promote increased social connection and physical function in the older adult population.