Journal of epidemiology and community health
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J Epidemiol Community Health · Dec 2012
Longitudinal patterns in physical activity and sedentary behaviour from mid-life to early old age: a substudy of the Whitehall II cohort.
There are few longitudinal data on physical activity patterns from mid-life into older age. The authors examined associations of self-reported physical activity, adiposity and socio-demographic factors in mid-life with objectively assessed measures of activity in older age. ⋯ Physical activity behaviour in middle age was associated with objectively measured physical activity in later life after 13 years of follow-up, suggesting that the habits in adulthood are partly tracked into older age.
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J Epidemiol Community Health · Dec 2012
Comparative StudySocio-demographic determinants of worsening in frailty among community-dwelling older people in 11 European countries.
The rapid increase of frail older people worldwide will have a substantial impact on healthcare systems. The frailty process may be delayed or even reversed, which makes it attractive for early interventions. However, little is known about the determinants of frailty state changes. The aim of this study is to compare socio-demographic determinants of worsening in frailty state in 11 European countries. ⋯ In Europe, persons aged ≥65 years, women and lower educated persons are at increased risk of worsening in frailty state. Differences between countries indicate that interventions aimed at delaying the frailty process in Southern European countries should start earlier with more attention towards women.
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J Epidemiol Community Health · Dec 2012
Income inequalities in case death of ischaemic heart disease in the Netherlands: a national record-linked study.
Socioeconomic inequalities in ischaemic heart disease (IHD) mortality have been found in most European countries, but it is unclear to what extent inequalities in survival, as opposed to incidence, contribute to these inequalities in mortality. The author studied income-related inequalities in short-term and long-term case death after first hospitalisation with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and chronic ischaemic heart disease (CIHD), as well as inequalities in cardiovascular surgical procedures among patients admitted with IHD, in the Netherlands. ⋯ Higher mortality from IHD among lower income people is likely to be partly due to higher case death after first hospital admission. Inequalities in utilisation of PTCA and between-hospital variations in inequalities in outcomes suggest that inequalities in access to good quality care may play a role in explaining the higher case death of IHD among people with lower socioeconomic position. Further research is needed to elucidate the causes of these inequalities in case death.