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OBJECTIVES Although previous studies have reported lower mortality and morbidity in people with higher daily step counts, the association between frailty and objectively measured step counts has not been evaluated well. We investigated the association between step counts and prevalence of frailty in community‐dwelling older adults. DESIGN A cross‐sectional study. SETTING The Kyoto‐Kameoka study in Japan. PARTICIPANTS We used data of 3,616 Japanese older adults, aged 65 years or older, with valid daily step count data, obtained by an accelerometer‐based pedometer. MEASUREMENTS The step count during 4 or more days was objectively obtained by a validated triaxial accelerometer. Participants were classified by quartiles (Qs) based on their step counts. Frailty was defined using the Fried phenotype (FP) model and the Kihon Checklist (KCL). We evaluated the association between prevalence of frailty and step counts using multivariate logistic regression and the restricted cubic spline model. RESULTS: Mean step counts across low‐to‐high Qs of distribution were 1,759, 2,988, 4,377, and 7,200 steps/day, respectively. The prevalence of frailty, as defined by the FP model and KCL, was 11.3% and 26.8%, respectively. After adjusting for confounders, there was a negative association between the odds ratio (OR) and prevalence of frailty, as defined by the FP model among people with higher step counts (Q1: reference; Q2: OR = 0.73; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.56–0.96; Q3: OR = 0.56; 95% CI = 0.42–0.76; and Q4: OR = 0.41; 95% CI = 0.30–0.57; P for trend <.001). The mean step count of the population was 4,081. The OR of frailty for a 1,000‐steps/day increment was 0.74 (95% CI = 0.58–0.91) and 0.85 (95% CI = 0.72–0.97) below 4,000 steps and above 4,000 steps, respectively. In the spline model, this relationship was similar between the FP model and KCL. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that slightly increasing the current step count, as by 1,000 steps/day (about 10 minutes of activity), may potentially prevent frailty. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:2310–2318, 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: In this study, we explored the association between sleep quality, duration and prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) among low-income adults in rural areas of China. Methods: Face-to-face investigation were conducted in 2017, and completed questionnaires were obtained from 16,648 individuals. Sleep quality and duration were evaluated using the standard Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. RA was based on self-reported physician diagnosis. Logistic regression analysis and restricted cubic spline models were performed. Results: Sleep duration shorter than 7 hours was associated with increased odds of RA, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.49 for 6–<7 hours and 1.70 for <6 hours. Poor sleep quality was associated with RA, with an OR of 1.68. The combination category of poor sleep quality and any group of sleep duration was associated with a significantly increased risk of developing RA. Combined groups of good sleep quality with short sleep duration (<7 hours) were also found to be related to prevalence of RA. There was a non-linear relationship between sleep quality, duration and the odds of RA. Conclusions: Poor sleep quality and short sleep duration may be trigger or risk factors for RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some epidemiological studies of older American adults have reported a relationship between life-space mobility (LSM) and mortality. However, these studies did not show a dose-response relationship and did not include individuals from other countries. Therefore, we evaluated the dose-response relationship between LSM and mortality in older adults. Prospective cohort study. We used the data of 10,014 older Japanese adults (aged ≥65 years) who provided valid responses to the Life-Space Assessment (LSA) in the Kyoto-Kameoka study in Japan. LSM was evaluated using the self-administered LSA consisting of 5 items regarding life-space from person's bedroom to outside town. The LSM score was calculated by multiplying life-space level by frequency score by independence score, yielding a possible range of 0 (constricted life-space) to 120 (broad life-space). These scores were categorized into quartiles (Qs). Mortality data were collected from July 30, 2011 to November 30, 2016. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model that included baseline covariates were used to evaluate the relationship between LSM score and mortality risk. A total of 1030 deaths were recorded during the median follow-up period of 5.3 years. We found a negative association between LSM score and overall mortality even after adjusting for confounders [Q1: reference; Q2: hazard ratio (HR) 0.81, 95% CI 0.69-0.95; Q3: HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.59-0.85; Q4: HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.55-0.84, P for trend <.001]. Similar results were observed for the spline model; up to a score of 60 points, LSM showed a strong dose-dependent negative association with mortality, but no significant differences were observed thereafter (L-shaped relationship). Our findings demonstrate an L-shaped relationship between LSM and mortality. This study will be useful in establishing target values for expanding the range of mobility among withdrawn older adults with a constricted life-space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]