| 1. |
|
|
| 2. |
- Baranowska-Rataj, Anna, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
-
Number of Children and Social Contacts among Older People : the Moderating Role of Filial Norms and Social Policies
- 2019
-
Ingår i: European Journal of Ageing. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1613-9372 .- 1613-9380. ; 16, s. 95-107
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Social contacts offer opportunities for provision of emotional and instrumental support that enhance well-being throughout the life course, and the importance of these contacts is especially evident at advanced ages. In this paper, we take a cross-country comparative perspective to examine the association between the number of children and the frequency of social contacts among older people. Using data from the European Quality of Life Survey, we employ multilevel models with cross-level interactions between the number of children and macro-level indicators of filial norms and social policies supporting older people. Our results suggest that older adults with children are more likely than older adults without children to have frequent social interactions, but that the number of children does not affect social contact frequency. The magnitude of the association between having children and social contact frequency varies across European societies. The social contact frequency gap between older adults with children and older adults without children is larger in more familialistic countries with strong filial norms. Our results do not confirm that having children affects social contact frequency less in countries where the state provides more support for older people.
|
|
| 3. |
|
|
| 4. |
- Enroth, Linda, et al.
(författare)
-
Are there educational disparities in health and functioning among the oldest old? Evidence from the Nordic countries
- 2019
-
Ingår i: European Journal of Ageing. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1613-9372 .- 1613-9380. ; 16:4, s. 415-424
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- With the ageing of the population and recent pressures on important welfare state arrangements, updated knowledge on the linkage between socioeconomic status and health in old age is pertinent for shedding light on emerging patterns of health inequalities in the Nordic countries. This study examined self-rated health (SRH), mobility and activities of daily living (ADL) according to level of education in the three oldest old age groups 75-84, 85-94, and 95+, in four Nordic countries. Altogether, 6132 individuals from Danish Longitudinal Study of Ageing, Norwegian Life Course, Ageing and Generation study, Swedish Panel Study of Living Conditions of the Oldest Old, the 5-Country Oldest Old (Sweden) and Vitality 90 + Study were analysed. First, associations of education level with SRH, mobility, and ADL were estimated for each individual study by means of age- and gender-adjusted logistic regression. Second, results from individual studies were synthesized in a meta-analysis. Older adults with higher education level were more likely to report good SRH, and they were more often independent in mobility and ADL than those with basic education when all age groups were combined. In mobility and ADL, differences between education groups remained stable across the age groups but for SRH, differences seemed to be weaker in older ages. With only a few exceptions, in all age groups, individuals with higher education had more favourable health and functioning than those with basic education. This study shows remarkable persistence of health and functioning inequalities in the Nordic countries throughout later life.
|
|
| 5. |
- Ericsson, Malin Christina, et al.
(författare)
-
Validation of abridged mini-mental state examination scales using population-based data from Sweden and USA
- 2017
-
Ingår i: European Journal of Ageing. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1613-9372 .- 1613-9380. ; 14:2, s. 199-205
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The objective of this study is to validate two abridged versions of the mini-mental state examination (MMSE): one intended for use in face-to-face interviews, and the other developed for telephonic interviews, using data from Sweden and the US to validate the abridged scales against dementia diagnoses as well as to compare their performance to that of the full MMSE scale. The abridged versions were based on eight domains from the original MMSE scale. The domains included in the MMSE-SF were registration, orientation, delayed recall, attention, and visual spatial ability. In the MMSE-SF-C, the visual spatial ability item was excluded, and instead, one additional orientation item was added. There were 794 participants from the Swedish HARMONY study [mean age 81.8 (4.8); the proportion of cognitively impaired was 51 %] and 576 participants from the US ADAMS study [mean age 83.2 (5.7); the proportion of cognitively impaired was 65 %] where it was possible to compare abridged MMSE scales to dementia diagnoses and to the full MMSE scale. We estimated the sensitivity and specificity levels of the abridged tests, using clinical diagnoses as reference. Analyses with both the HARMONY and the ADAMS data indicated comparable levels of sensitivity and specificity in detecting cognitive impairment for the two abridged scales relative to the full MMSE. Receiver operating characteristic curves indicated that the two abridged scales corresponded well to those of the full MMSE. The two abridged tests have adequate validity and correspond well with the full MMSE. The abridged versions could therefore be alternatives to consider in larger population studies where interview length is restricted, and the respondent burden is high.
|
|
| 6. |
- Genbäck, Minna, 1985-, et al.
(författare)
-
Predictors of decline in self-reported health : addressing non-ignorable dropout in longitudinal studies of ageing
- 2018
-
Ingår i: European Journal of Ageing. - : Springer. - 1613-9372 .- 1613-9380. ; 15:2, s. 211-220
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Predictors of decline in health in older populations have been investigated in multiple studies before. Most longitudinal studies of aging, however, assume that dropout at follow-up is ignorable (missing at random) given a set of observed characteristics at baseline. The objective of this study was to address non-ignorable dropout in investigating predictors of declining self-reported health (SRH) in older populations (50 years or older) in Sweden, the Netherlands, and Italy. We used the SHARE panel survey, and since only 2895 out of the original 5657 participants in the survey 2004 were followed up in 2013, we studied whether the results were sensitive to the expectation that those dropping out have a higher proportion of decliners in SRH. We found that older age and a greater number of chronic diseases were positively associated with a decline in self-reported health in the three countries studies here. Maximum grip strength was associated with decline in self-reported health in Sweden and Italy, and self-reported limitations in normal activities due to health problems were associated with decline in self-reported health in Sweden. These results were not sensitive to non-ignorable dropout. On the other hand, although obesity was associated with decline in a complete case analysis, this result was not confirmed when performing a sensitivity analysis to non-ignorable dropout. The findings, thereby, contribute to the literature in understanding the robustness of longitudinal study results to non-ignorable dropout while considering three different population samples in Europe.
|
|
| 7. |
- Jones, J. W., et al.
(författare)
-
Longitudinal correspondence between subjective and objective memory in the oldest old: A parallel process model by gender
- 2019
-
Ingår i: European Journal of Ageing. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1613-9372 .- 1613-9380. ; 16:3, s. 317-326
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Subjective memory and objective memory performance have predictive utility for clinically relevant outcomes in older adults. Previous research supports certain overlap between objective performance and subjective ratings of memory. These studies are typically cross-sectional or use baseline data only to predict subsequent change. The current study uses a parallel process model to examine concurrent changes in objective memory and subjective memory. We combined data from two population-based Swedish studies of individuals aged 80 + years, assessed every 2years (OCTO—3 measurement occasions, OCTO-Twin—5 measurement occasions) yielding 607 participants (66% female). The results confirmed that both objective and subjective memory declined over time. The association between the slope of objective memory and subjective memory was statistically significant for women but not for men. This pattern remained after accounting for age and depressive symptoms. Our findings suggest that, in population-based samples of the oldest old, women seem to show better metacognitive abilities in detecting and reporting changes in memory. Memory changes for men may be better identified by objective performance as their self-assessment of memory changes is not associated with actual change in memory performance. © 2019, Springer Nature B.V.
|
|
| 8. |
- Kylén, Maya, et al.
(författare)
-
Meaning of home and health dynamics among younger older people in Sweden
- 2019
-
Ingår i: European Journal of Ageing. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1613-9372 .- 1613-9380. ; 16:3, s. 305-315
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Research has shown that positive evaluations of home are important for very old people’s health, well-being and independence in daily life. The rationale for the present study derives from our survey study findings, confirming such associations also in a younger cohort (N = 371). The purpose of this study was to further increase the understanding of the dynamics of meaning of home and health among community-living healthy younger older people, in the present and in a projected future. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 13 persons aged 67–70 years living in ordinary housing in Sweden, followed by a qualitative content analysis. Findings suggest that the home becomes progressively important after retirement. Not only the immediate home environment but also local neighbourhoods influence perceptions about home. Home brings emotional and social benefits but also worries about how to cope with complex home ambivalence when reflecting upon future housing arrangements. The findings suggest that it is important to consider the role of perceived aspects of home for health and well-being in early phases of the ageing process. The findings could be used to raise awareness among policymakers, housing authorities and professionals involved in housing-related counselling.
|
|
| 9. |
- König, Stefanie
(författare)
-
Career histories as determinants of gendered retirement timing in the Danish and Swedish pension systems
- 2017
-
Ingår i: European Journal of Ageing. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1613-9372 .- 1613-9380. ; 14:4, s. 397-406
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- © 2017 The Author(s) After reforms in pension systems had taken place in most European countries within the last two decades, the concern was raised that women may be disadvantaged by these reforms. It is suggested that they are faced with a higher financial need to work longer. Retrospective data from SHARELIFE are used to run an event history analysis on the timing of the final employment exit, separately for gender, country and exit cohort. This study aims to disentangle the influence of gendered labour markets and pension regulations on retirement timing by investigating conditions in Denmark and Sweden. Some evidence was found that women compensate for lower labour market attachment due to long part-time periods by working longer, especially in younger cohorts. This seems to depend on the pension system. In countries with broad basic pensions, high replacement rates for low-income groups and fewer penalties for early retirement, the compensation is suggested to be less frequent. This study indicates the growing importance of the “compensation hypothesis” compared to the “status maintenance hypothesis” of previous careers in relation with retirement timing.
|
|
| 10. |
- Meinow, Bettina, et al.
(författare)
-
Complex health problems among the oldest old in Sweden : increased prevalence rates between 1992 and 2002 and stable rates thereafter
- 2015
-
Ingår i: European Journal of Ageing. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1613-9372 .- 1613-9380. ; 12:4, s. 285-297
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Studies of health trends in older populations usually focus on single health indicators. We include multiple medical and functional indicators, which together indicate the broader impact of health problems experienced by individuals and the need for integrated care from several providers of medical and long-term care. The study identified severe problems in three health domains (diseases/symptoms, mobility, and cognition/communication) in three nationally representative samples of the Swedish population aged 77+ in 1992, 2002, and 2011 (n a parts per thousand 1900; response rate > 85 %). Institutionalized people and proxy interviews were included. People with severe problems in two or three domains were considered to have complex health problems. Results showed a significant increase of older adults with complex health problems from 19 % in 1992 to 26 % in 2002 and no change thereafter. Changes over time remained when controlling for age and sex. When stratified by education, complex health problems increased significantly for people with lower education between 1992 and 2002 and did not change significantly between 2002 and 2011. For higher-educated people, there was no significant change over time. Among the people with severe problems in the symptoms/disease domain, about half had no severe problems in the other domains. People with severe mobility problems, on the other hand, were more likely to also have severe problems in other domains. Even stable rates may imply an increasing number of very old people with complex health problems, resulting in a need for improved coordination between providers of medical care and social services.
|
|
