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Background: Few studies have examined the associations between changes in depressive symptoms and handgrip strength in older people. This study aimed to examine the magnitude of the association between depressive symptoms over 2 years and weak handgrip strength on the 4 years of follow-up.Methods: We conducted a longitudinal study using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging, a nationally representative panel survey of older adults in England. Data were derived from waves 4 (2008-2009), 5 (2010-2011), and 6 (2012-2013). A total of 5,080 participants were included in the analysis. Depressive symptoms were dichotomized using the eight-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale in waves 4 and 5 and were regarded as the exposure. Handgrip strength measurements objectively measured in wave 6 were dichotomized according to the 25th percentile of the British norm and used as the outcome. The targeted maximum likelihood estimation model was utilized to assess time-variant depressive symptoms on handgrip strength, adjusted for time-variant and time-invariant covariates.Results: The maintenance of non-depressive symptoms (relative risk [RR], 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59-0.87) or improvement of depressive symptoms (RR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.55-0.91) had a protective effect on weak handgrip strength compared with the persistence of depressive symptoms.Limitation: This study is not a randomized control trial but a longitudinal observational study, indicating that our study finding may still have been affected by unknown confounders.Conclusion: Our findings suggest the importance of managing depressive symptoms to prevent poor physical function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Elevated Allostatic Load Index determines worse physical performance states in older adults. • Distributions of Allostatic Load Averages do not differ significantly among the cities evaluated. • Total and Indirect Mediation Effects between Allostatic Load and the variables of age, socioeconomic and chronic conditions on physical performance scores were evidenced. This study aimed to evaluate the association between Allostatic Load (AL) and physical performance scores in older adults from four cities in North and South America. In this cross-sectional study, data from 1101 volunteers from three countries (Canada, Brazil, and Colombia) from the International Mobility in Aging Study (IMIAS) were used to evaluate the association between AL index and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) scores. Three multiple linear regression models adjusted by age, Socioeconomic Status (SES), chronic conditions, depression symptoms, and Leganés Cognitive Test (LCT) were developed to estimate the independent association between SPPB and AL. Mediation analysis with 2012 LA data and covariates was performed to access the total, direct, and indirect effects of mediation on SPPB scores from 2016. AL and SPPB were inversely associated, with older adults with high allostatic load scoring lower on SPPB (β: -0.234, Std: 0.033, p-value: <0.001). Indirect effects were evidenced between age, SES and chronic conditions with AL and SPPB scores. Chronic conditions also had a total effect on SPPB scores and were also mediated by AL. However, indirect effects of depressive symptoms and LCT on SPPB scores mediated by AL were not observed. Findings from this study support that increased AL index determines worse physical performance states after full adjustments. AL has a mediator role between the number of chronic diseases, depressive symptoms, cognitive status and physical performance. Socioeconomic status also influenced physical scores mediated by the AL index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employed novel GPS methods to assess the effect of a multilevel physical activity (PA) intervention on device-measured walking locations in 305 community dwelling older adults, ages 65+ (mean age = 83, 73% women). Retirement communities were randomized to a 1-year PA intervention that encouraged neighborhood walking, or to a healthy aging control condition. Total time and time spent walking in four life-space domains were assessed using GPS and accelerometer devices. The intervention increased the time spent walking as a proportion of total time spent in the Campus, Neighborhood and Beyond Neighborhood domains. Intervention effects on walking location were observed in both genders and across physical and cognitive functioning groups. Results demonstrate that an intervention providing individual, social and environmental support for walking can increase PA in larger life-space domains for a broad spectrum of older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The COVID-19 pandemic may have changed the movement behavior of older adults • Housing type was associated with changes in movement behavior during the pandemic • Residing in apartment and row house was associated with unhealthy movement behavior • Changes in movement behavior were less evident in those residing in detached house To investigate the association between housing characteristics with objectively measured changes in physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) during the COVID-19 pandemic in older adults with hypertension. Thirty-five older adults with hypertension were included in this exploratory study. Accelerometer-based PA and SB measures were assessed before and during a period of social distancing policy imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Housing type, housing surface area and household size were tested as predictors of changes in PA and SB. A generalized linear mixed model was used for the analysis. Housing type was associated with changes in PA and SB. Individuals residing in an apartment showed a greater decrease in light PA on weekdays (β= –65 min/day, p=0.035) and a trend for an increase in SB (β= 55 min/day, p=0.056) compared to those residing in a detached house. Individuals residing in a row house showed a greater decrease in moderate-vigorous PA (β= –10 min/day, p=0.037) and steps/day (β= –2064, p=0.010) compared to those residing in a detached house. Individuals residing in an apartment showed a greater decrease in light PA on the weekends (β= –83 min/day, p=0.015) and an increase in SB (β= 72 min/day, p=0.036) compared to those residing in a detached house. No association was found for housing surface area and household size. Older adults with hypertension residing in an apartment or row house have greater unhealthy changes in movement behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further studies are needed to confirm our preliminary findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]