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Despite the association of neighborhood quality with poorer adult health, limited research has explored the association between neighborhood disadvantage, e.g. Area Deprivation Index (ADI), and older Black adults' health, prospectively. This observational study examined the association between ADI and changes in longitudinal physical health within older Black adults. The analytic sample (n = 317) included data from waves 1 & 2 of the Baltimore Study of Black Aging: Patterns of Cognitive Aging (BSBA-PCA). Study variables included the Area Deprivation Index (ADI), objective (e.g. average heart rate) and subjective (e.g. activities of daily living) measures of physical health. Multiple linear regression models were conducted controlling for sociodemographic and social support characteristics. Participants living in more disadvantaged neighborhoods, based on national and state ADIs, were more likely to have a decreasing heart rate even after adjusting for covariates. Likewise, participants reporting increasing levels of ADL difficulty were living in a neighborhood with greater disadvantage based on national and state ADI rankings. Significant social support received and ADI (national and state) interactions were observed for average heart rate. The findings suggest that research on the effect of neighborhood quality and social support can enhance our understanding of its impact on older Black adults' health prospectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 spread across the nation with Black Americans experiencing twice of the prevalence of deaths than White Americans. Black American college students are facing a unique set of biopsychosocial costs including less retention and poorer mental health. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine how Historically Black College or University (HBCU) students contextualize COVID-19. Interviews were conducted with 19 participants and lasted 40-60 minutes. They discussed topics including: their COVID-19 knowledge, precautionary measures, and barriers and promoters of school success were covered. Data were coded through semi-open coding and discussed among the research team. Responses were summarized by eight themes: emotional responses, colorblind rhetoric, lack of healthcare, essential work, distrust for the medical field, barriers to precautions like supply shortages and environmental factors, and poor baseline health. These findings may be used to develop interventions that moderate the impact of COVID-19 and future pandemics on mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Previous research suggests a decline in body mass index (BMI) among older adults is associated with negative health outcomes, including mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and incident dementia. However, no studies have examined the effects of education or developing MCI on BMI trajectories over time. The purpose of this investigation was to characterize trajectories of change in BMI among older adults who develop MCI. Methods Participants were from the Minority Aging Research Study (MARS), a longitudinal cohort study of cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease in older African Americans living in the greater Chicago, Illinois, area. The study included annual clinical evaluations of cognitive status, as well as measurements of height and weight for BMI calculation. Older African American participants without cognitive impairment at baseline were included in the present analysis (N  = 436, 78% women, mean baseline age = 72 [ SD  = 5.7], mean education = 15 [ SD  = 3.5]). Results In piecewise linear mixed-effects models that included a random intercept and 2 random slopes, BMI declined over time (B  = −0.20, SE  = 0.02, p  < .001), with a faster decline after MCI diagnosis (additional decline, B  = −0.15, SE  = 0.06, p  = .019). Older age was associated with lower baseline BMI (B  = −0.19, SE  = 0.05, p  < .001), as was higher education (B  = −0.34, SE  = 0.09, p  < .001). Further, higher education was associated with a slower decline in BMI before MCI (B  = 0.02, SE  = 0.006, p  = .001), but a faster decline after MCI (B  = −0.06, SE  = 0.022, p  = .003). Conclusions These results suggest an accelerated decline in BMI following an MCI diagnosis, with higher education related to an even faster BMI decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives This study explored the association between place-based characteristics (e.g. neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation) and physical health within older Black adults, a critical gap in the literature as identified by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. Methods The sample was from Wave 1 data of Baltimore Study of Black Aging: Patterns of Cognitive Aging (N = 450; M age = 68.34). Variables included the area deprivation index (ADI), objective (e.g. average blood pressure) and subjective (e.g. self-rated health) measures of physical health. Multiple linear regression models were conducted controlling for key sociodemographic characteristics. Results Participants reporting better self-rated health and less likely to need help with activities of daily living were significantly more likely to be living in more disadvantaged neighborhoods based on national and state ADI, respectively, even after adjusting for covariates. A significant age and ADI interaction revealed better self-rated health was associated with a more disadvantaged neighborhood particularly for individuals ≤66 years. There was no significant association between ADI and objective physical health measures. Discussion The findings suggest that national- and state-level place-based characteristics should be considered along with individual-level factors, which can enrich the scientific understanding of how neighborhood characteristics relate to varying health indicators among older Black adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The goal of the study was to examine the influence of sleep efficiency on the relationship between anxiety and executive functions. Method: Secondary data analyses of 82 community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults were performed (M age = 63.00, SD = 8.64). Anxiety was measured using the trait anxiety subscale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Sleep efficiency was measured using one-week of sleep diary data. Two executive functions, cognitive flexibility and inductive reasoning, were measured using the Trail-Making Test and Letter Series task, respectively. SPSS PROCESS macro software version 2 was used to assess the moderating role of sleep efficiency in the relationship between anxiety and executive functions. Results: Sleep significantly moderated the relationship between anxiety and inductive reasoning. Among middle-aged and older adults with high anxiety, those with good sleep efficiency displayed significantly better inductive reasoning than those with poor sleep efficiency after controlling for age, gender, and education (ΔR2 =.05, p =.017). Sleep efficiency did not significantly moderate the relationship between anxiety and cognitive flexibility. Conclusion: Sleep efficiency weakened the association between anxiety and inductive reasoning in middle-aged and older adults. Evidence from the study suggests better sleep may limit the negative effects of anxiety on executive functions in mid-to-late life. Further research is needed to elucidate the impact of anxiety and sleep on executive functions in clinical populations with anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Inconsistency in pain may lead to depression, which may then influence sleep. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine whether depression mediates the relationship between day-to-day inconsistency in pain and sleep in middle aged to older adults. Methods: Baseline measures from the Active Adult Mentoring Project were used for secondary data analysis. Participants included 82 adults in mid- to late-life. Pain was assessed for seven consecutive days on an 11-point Likert-scale, with pain inconsistency defined as the seven-day individual standard deviation. A self-report daily diary was used to assess sleep efficiency (SE), total wake time (TWT), total sleep time (TST), and sleep quality (SQ), and depression was assessed using the BDI-II. Results: Mediation analyses revealed that depression partially mediated the relationship between pain inconsistency and SE, TWT, and SQ but not TST. Conclusions: Results indicate that depression may be an important factor through which pain inconsistency influences sleep. Although further research is warranted, these preliminary findings suggest that intervening on both pain inconsistency and depression may be one way to improve sleep in older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The purpose of the current study is to examine the association between subjective memory complaints and sleep (quantity and quality) in African American older adults. Method Participants from the Baltimore Study of Black Aging (BSBA; n = 351; mean age = 71.99) completed a self-report sleep scale, subjective memory complaint scale, global cognitive status measure, and demographic questionnaire. Results Worse overall sleep quality was significantly associated with subjective reports of difficulty recalling the placement of objects, recalling specific facts from reading materials, and worse memory currently compared to the past. Specific sleep parameters (e.g. longer sleep latency and shorter sleep duration) were associated with negative appraisals of participants' ability to do specific tasks involving memory (e.g. difficulty recalling placement of objects). Participants classified as poor sleepers (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI] total score > 5) were more likely to report worse memory now compared to the past than participants classified as good sleepers (PSQI total score ≤ 5). Conclusions Evaluation of sleep may be warranted when older adults, particularly African Americans, communicate concerns regarding their memory. Insufficient sleep may be a useful marker of acute daytime dysfunction and, perhaps, cognitive decline. Given memory problems are the hallmark of dementia, our findings support further evaluation of whether poor sleep can aid in the diagnosis of cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Given prevalence differences of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) among Black and white older adults, this study aimed to examine whether overall vascular risk factor (VRF) burden and individual VRF associations with amnestic (aMCI) and nonamnestic (naMCI) MCI status varied by Black/white race. Methods: Participants included 2755 older adults without dementia from the ACTIVE study. Comprehensive neuropsychological criteria were used to classify cognitively normal, aMCI, and naMCI. VRFs were primarily defined using subjective report and medication data. Multinomial logistic regression was run predicting MCI subtype. Results: Greater overall VRF burden, high cholesterol, and obesity evinced greater odds of naMCI in Black participants than whites. Across participants, diabetes and hypertension were associated with increased odds of aMCI and naMCI, respectively. Discussion: Results may reflect known systemic inequities on dimensions of social determinants of health for Black older adults. Continued efforts toward examining underlying mechanisms contributing to these findings are critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study examined how different quantifications of pain (average vs. day-to-day inconsistency) are related to sleep in older adults beyond known predictors. Methods: Baseline measures from the Active Adult Mentoring Project were used for secondary analyses. Participants included 82 adults in mid- to late-life. Depression was assessed with the BDI-II. Pain intensity was assessed over seven days on a 11-point Likert-scale, while sleep efficiency (SE), total sleep time (TST), and total wake time (TWT) were assessed using a self-report diary. Results: Regression analyses revealed that pain inconsistency was associated with both SE and TWT and accounted for significant variance over age, gender, and depression. In contrast, average pain was not associated with SE, TST, or TWT. Conclusions: The findings indicate that pain inconsistency may be a more meaningful predictor of sleep disturbance than average pain level, suggesting that one's ability to regulate pain may be related to one's ability to engage in optimal sleep in mid- to late-life. Clinical Implications: Pain inconsistency appears to contribute more to sleep disturbance than average pain. Pain inconsistency in late-life warrants greater attention and may be an area of clinical intervention through activity-pacing or coping skills training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on a study which examined the effects of blood pressure on the memory of older African Americans. Results of the study, which gathered information from 631 African American adults, showed links between levels of systolic blood pressure and cognitive functioning and the importance of blood pressure in aging and health processes.

Research has documented that African Americans suffer disproportionately from chronic diseases when compared to the general population. Yet, limited research examines older African Americans' perceptions about having chronic diseases. Accordingly, the first aim of the study provided insight into this disparity with the intent of revealing how older African Americans feel about their overall health, and how much they understand about their individual chronic disease(s). The second aim was to gather information about strategies and coping mechanisms older African Americans use to manage their chronic diseases. The purpose of this aim was to determine if any of the strategies they employed were related to the positive health outcomes. Two focus groups were conducted with African American older adults who live in community settings. The results from the focus groups indicate that older African Americans are aware of the conditions they have and have developed strong coping methods to help them manage. Recommendations are provided for future research studies and chronic disease management programs.