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In Italy, COVID-19 lockdown was imposed from 8 March until 3 May 2020 with negative consequences on the lifestyles and health of people. Within this context, the paper aims: (i) to analyse the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on perceived weight changes, (ii) to evaluate factors associated with the perception of weight changes (Body Mass Index (BMI), sleep quality, time spent in sedentary activities), in an Italian academic community of students and workers. A total of 3666 participants took part in this cross-sectional study (2838 students and 828 workers, of whom 73.0% were female). T-test, Chi-square test and the two-way ANOVA were used. Results showed that 43.3% of participants perceived a weight gain. Workers experienced a more substantial increase in body weight (0.7 kg) compared to students (0.3 kg, p = 0.013). A significant difference between preobese/obese workers (0.9 kg) and students (−0.3 kg, p &lt, 0.001) was found. Overall, 57.0% of the sample was characterized by high levels of sedentary activities. Sedentary people noticed a higher weight gain (0.4 kg) compared to less sedentary people (0.3 kg, p = 0.048). More than 45% of participants reported a worsening of sleep quality and showed a perceived increase in body weight (0.5 kg) in comparison to those who improved their sleep quality (no weight change, p = 0.001). Designing tailored interventions to promote health-related behaviours during lockdown periods is essential.

This study aims to assess the reliability, construct validity (convergent/divergent), and criterion validity of the Italian version of the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI). The TFI is a self-report questionnaire for screening frailty in older adults. Two hundred and sixty-seven community-dwelling older adults were involved. Psychometric properties were analyzed using validated instruments. Adverse outcomes such as disability, falls, and visits to a general practitioner were detected. Participants were mainly women (59.9%), with a mean age of 73.4 years ( SD = 6.0). Internal consistency reliability was acceptable. Construct validity was good, since each item of the TFI correlated as expected with corresponding frailty measures. Convergent and divergent validity were adequate for all the domains of the TFI. Criterion validity was excellent for disability and mediocre for the other two outcomes. This study supports the validity of the Italian TFI and offers to clinicians and scientists a multidimensional instrument for identifying frail individuals in the Italian context.

Cognitive frailty is the simultaneous clinical manifestation of both physical frailty and cognitive impairment. This paper aimed to propose and test an operational definition of cognitive frailty. The following specific aims were pursued: (i) to rate the prevalence of cognitive frailty; (ii) to evaluate differences in cognitive functioning among robust, pre-frail, and frail individuals; (iii) to examine the association of cognitive frailty with disability, in a sample of Italian community-dwelling older adults. Five hundred and ninety-four older adults (mean age 73.6 years, SD=5.8) were involved in this cross-sectional study. Cognitive frailty was operationalized using the Mini Mental State Examination (cut-off score equal or less than 25) for the evaluation of cognitive functions and the five criteria of the Cardiovascular Health Study (cut-off score equal or higher than 3) for the evaluation of physical frailty. Participants positive for both instruments were classified as cognitively frail. The outcome was disability measured with the Groningen Activity Restriction Scale. Descriptive statistics, one-way and two-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were carried out. The prevalence rate of cognitive frailty was 4.4%. The one-way ANCOVA, controlling for age and gender, showed a significant difference (p< .001) among robust, pre-frail, and frail participants for the cognitive functioning. Moreover, cognitively frail individuals showed a difference (p

Anna Mulasso,1 Mattia Roppolo,1,2 Fabrizia Giannotta,3 Emanuela Rabaglietti1 1Department of Psychology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy; 2Department of Developmental Psychology, Rijksuniversiteit of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands; 3Department of Psychology, University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden Abstract: Frailty has been recognized as a risk factor for geriatric adverse events. Little is known of the role of psychosocial factors associated with frailty in explaining negative outcomes of aging. This study was aimed at 1) evaluating the differences in psychosocial factors among robust, prefrail, and frail individuals and 2) investigating whether there was any interaction effect of frailty status with empirically identified clusters of psychosocial factors on autonomy in the activities of daily living (ADLs). Two-hundred and ten older adults (age 73±6years, 66% women) were involved in this study. Frailty was assessed using an adapted version of the frailty phenotype. The psychosocial factors investigated were depressive symptoms using the 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, social isolation using the Friendship Scale, and loneliness feeling using the eight-item UCLA Loneliness Scale. The autonomy in ADLs was measured with the Groningen Activity Restriction Scale. Thirty-one percent of participants were robust, 55% prefrail, and 14% frail. We performed an analysis of covariance which showed differences between robust, prefrail, and frail individuals for all the psychosocial variables: Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, F(2, 205)=18.48, P

Mattia Roppolo,1,2 Anna Mulasso,1 Robbert J Gobbens,3,4 Cristina O Mosso,1 Emanuela Rabaglietti1 1Department of Psychology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy; 2Department of Developmental Psychology, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands; 3Faculty of Health, Sports and Social Work, Inholland University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; 4Zonnehuisgroep Amstelland, Amstelveen, the Netherlands Background: Over the years, a plethora of frailty assessment tools has been developed. These instruments can be basically grouped into two types of conceptualizations – unidimensional, based on the physical–biological dimension – and multidimensional, based on the connections among the physical, psychological, and social domains. At present, studies on the comparison between uni- and multidimensional frailty measures are limited.Objective: The aims of this paper were: 1) to compare the prevalence of frailty obtained using a uni- and a multidimensional measure; 2) to analyze differences in the functional status among individuals captured as frail or robust by the two measures; and 3) to investigate relations between the two frailty measures and disability.Methods: Two hundred and sixty-seven community-dwelling older adults (73.4±6 years old, 59.9% of women) participated in this cross-sectional study. The Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) index and the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) were used to measure frailty in a uni- and multidimensional way, respectively. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire, the Center of Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale, and the Loneliness Scale were administered to evaluate the functional status. Disability was assessed using the Groningen Activity Restriction Scale. Data were treated with descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance, correlations, and receiver operating characteristic analyses through the evaluation of the areas under the curve.Results: Results showed that frailty prevalence rate is strictly dependent on the index used (CHS =12.7%; TFI =44.6%). Furthermore, frail individuals presented differences in terms of functional status in all the domains. Frailty measures were significantly correlated with each other (r=0.483), and with disability (CHS: r=0.423; TFI: r=0.475). Finally, the area under the curve of the TFI (0.833) for disability was higher with respect to the one of CHS (0.770).Conclusion: Data reported here confirm that different instruments capture different frail individuals. Clinicians and researchers have to consider the different abilities of the two measures to detect frail individuals. Keywords: functional decline, older adults, health outcomes, active aging, indexes selection&nbsp

Functional aging processes are characterized by a loss of performance capabilities for most physiological systems, such as aerobic endurance and lower body strength, which are important for independent living and active aging. The present study examines the direction of influence between aerobic endurance and lower body strength over time in Italian sedentary older adults. A three-wave longitudinal model was tested using cross-lagged analysis for 202 individuals aged over 65 years (mean = 73.92, SD = 5.84; 140 females). Analysis revealed that aerobic endurance and lower body strength decline over time. In addition, greater aerobic endurance positively affected lower body strength over time; however, the converse was true only during the first period (first 6 months). These findings emphasize the importance of these relationships for the design and implementation of effective physical intervention for older adults.

Objectives Dual-task (DT) performance is common to most activities of daily living and difficulties in DT activities may reduce quality of life in older adults. This study investigated the effect of DT training in a sample of older adults. Methods Sixty older adults (mean = 74.4 ± 3.1 years) participated in the study. Twenty-two older adults were included in the control (CG), 19 in the single-task (ST) training and 19 in DT training group. ST group received balance and walking training twice a week for16 weeks, while DT training group performed the same training with additional motor tasks. Data were gathered on 6 m timed walk (6MTW), timed up and go test (TUG) and four square step test (FSST). DT conditions required participants to complete 6MTW, TUG and FSST, either (i) while carrying a glass of water or (ii) while carrying a ball on a round tray. Results A significant Group x Time interaction was found in TUG ( F [2,57] = 29.5; p η 2 = 0.51) and in FSST (F [2,57] = 23.2; p 0.01; partial η 2 = 0.44). After intervention DT showed better scores in overall TUG (mean difference = 1.21 s [95% CI, 0.82–1.60]; p p Conclusion Our results suggested that 16 weeks of motor DT training, using motor additional tasks as manipulation of common objects of everyday life, could improve mobility in older age.

The motivation to perform physical activity is a crucial factor in achieving a persistent active lifestyle. However, motivation decreases with increasing age from childhood to adolescence. The promotion of physical activity in educational settings might be an important tool to increase motivation and, consequently, to decrease sedentary behavior. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of a 4-month school-based walking intervention on motivation to participate in physical activity among Italian middle-school students. This study included 276 students (mean age 13 ± 1 years, 41.3% female). A total of 138 students (intervention group) participated in a brief walking intervention that was added to their routine daily school activity, while a convenience sample of 138 students performed the routine daily school activity. The activity consisted of walking one kilometer outside of school buildings during the morning break. Motivation data were collected before and after the walking breaks using the Participation Motivation Questionnaire (PMQ). Controlling for age, significant interactions between group and time were observed in the “Social Status” [F(1,273) = 4.851; p = 0.028], “Team” [F(1,273) = 6.015; p = 0.015] and “Energy Release” components [F(1,273) = 8.527; p = 0.038]. Specifically, a significant decrease in the “Social Status” components of the PMQ and an increase in the “Team” and “Energy Release” components were observed in the intervention group. On the contrary. control group showed an increase in “Social Status” and a decrease in the “Team” and “Energy Release” components. Within this developmental context, incorporation of the walking activity helped to modify the motivational orientation towards physical activity to include more intrinsic factors, which were related to the possibility of remaining with classmates and peer groups and releasing a surplus of energy.

Objective: The aim of the study was to explore the association between fear of falling (FOF), dual-task ability during a mobility task, and the activities of daily living (ADL) in a sample of older adults.\ud \ud Methods: Seventy-six older adults (mean age M = 70.87 ± 5.16 years) participated in the study. Data on FOF (using the Falls Self-Efficacy Scale-International), walking ability during both single- and dual-task performances and ADL were collected.\ud \ud Results: Mediation analysis demonstrated the mediation effect of dual-task ability (β = 0.238, p = 0.011) between FOF and ADL level (β = 0.559, p < 0.001). Moreover, significantly lower performances were observed during dual-task condition [F (2, 73) = 7.386, p < 0.001], and lower ADL levels were also found in older adults with FOF [F (2, 73) = 13.734, p < 0.001].\ud \ud Conclusion: The study underlines the relationship between FOF, dual-task ability and ADL level. These results could be used to develop specific intervention programmes for successful ageing.

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of dancing activity based on different dance styles, in groups as well as with a partner, on mobility performance, quality of life and social engagement in a sample of older adults. One hundred and sixty-three older adults (mean age, 70 years; SD = 4 years) participated in a supervised dancing activity programme for 16 weeks. The dancing activity included different dance routines and was progressive in terms of motor complexity. Data on mobility, health-related quality of life and social engagement were collected before and after a 16-week training period. Significant improvements in mobility, quality of life and social engagement were noted in single as well as dual-task performance after the intervention. Our results emphasise the benefit of a 16-week dance training on multidimensional features, including physical and psychosocial domains, which are important for successful ageing.

Anna Mulasso,1,2 Laura Argiolu,1 Mattia Roppolo,1 Danny Azucar,1 Emanuela Rabaglietti1 1Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy; 2NeuroMuscular Function Research Group, School of Exercise and Sport Sciences, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy Abstract: Frailty increases individual vulnerability to external stressors and involves high risk for adverse geriatric outcomes. To date, few studies have addressed the role of emotion perception and its association with frailty in aged populations. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore whether a significant association between frailty and emotional experience exists in a sample of Italian community-dwelling older adults. Our sample consisted of 104 older adults (age 76±8years; 59.6% women) living in Piedmont, Italy. Frailty was measured using the Italian version of the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI), and emotion perception was measured with the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). The Mini–Mental State Examination was used as a screening tool for cognitive functions (people with a score ≤20 points were excluded). One-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), adjusted for interesting variables, and post hoc tests were performed where appropriate. According to the TFI, 57.7% of participants resulted as frail. Analysis showed a significant greater severity of frailty in the low positive affect (PA) group compared to the high PA group. Similarly, those with high negative affect (NA) showed significantly higher levels of frailty than the low NA group. As expected, significant differences for frailty were also found among the groups composed of 1) people with high PA and low NA, 2) people with low PA or high NA, and 3) people with low PA and high NA. Post hoc tests showed a greater severity of frailty in the second and in the third groups compared to the first one. Lastly, robust participants aged >75 years showed higher levels of PA than the group aged between 60 and 75 years. These findings demonstrate that both PA and NA may influence frailty, giving new insights for the evaluation and prevention of frailty in older adults. Keywords: emotion perception functional decline, frail individuals, Tilburg Frailty Indicator, analysis of covariance&nbsp

The present study aimed, first, to compare the ability to predict falls over 12 months for three measures - mobility, balance and frailty. Second, among the three domains of frailty - physical, psychological and social - we investigated what is the strongest predictor of falls.A total of 192 community-dwelling older adults (age 73.0 ± 6.2 years; 62% women) were involved in this longitudinal study. The Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, One Leg Standing (OLS) test and the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) were respectively used to measure mobility, balance and frailty. The TFI is a questionnaire based on a multidimensional conceptualization of frailty consisting of 15 items in three domains (physical, psychological and social). Falls were self-reported during the 12-month follow up. Logistic regression models, adjusted for interesting variables, were carried out to predict the risk of falls.History of falls and chronic conditions were the indicators more strongly related with falls over 12 months. The TFI resulted as a stronger predictor of falls when compared with the TUG and OLS tests. The explained variance of the three models was 31.2%, 22.4% and 22.2%, respectively. The TFI was significantly associated with falls (P 0.001), whereas the TUG and the OLS were not (P 0.05). Among the three frailty domains, physical (P 0.001) and psychological (P = 0.041) domains were significant predictors of falls.The findings showed that the TFI might be an effective tool for predicting falls at 12 months in aged populations, probably because it is able to capture the multifactorial facets that can lead to falls. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1463-1469.

Tobacco and marijuana smoking are very popular in adolescence and there is a high rate of comorbidity between them, even in young adulthood. Parental support and control may hinder involvement in the use of these substances by promoting conventional values among adolescents.The present study investigates the relations between family functioning (parental support and control) and psychoactive substance use (tobacco and marijuana smoking) and determines whether these relationships are mediated by personal values (in terms of disapproval of deviance and beliefs about the importance of school, health and religion).175 Italian late adolescents (17 to 20 years old) participated in this two-wave longitudinal study. Data were collected at school through an anonymous questionnaire.Greater parental control and support were directly associated with lower adolescent tobacco and marijuana use; adolescent acceptance of conventional values mediated the association between parenting and adolescent marijuana use.Findings emphasize the influence of family relationships throughout adolescence. The transmission of conventional values to adolescents may be a critical mechanism through which parenting protects adolescents from substance use, especially marijuana use.

Anna Mulasso, Mattia Roppolo, Emanuela Rabaglietti Department of Psychology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy Purpose: Frailty is a condition characterized by loss of functional reserve and altered homeostatic capacity. The aging process is related with complex indicators of physiological state. This study aims, with a preliminary mediation model, to reveal the possible role of mediator of health perceptions variability in the relationship between frailty and disability. Patients and methods: A longitudinal study (100 days) was performed. Data from 92institutionalized older adults were used in the analysis. Frailty was assessed in baseline using the Italian version of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe – Frailty Instrument; health perceptions were assessed on a daily basis by three visual analog scale questions; and disability was measured in baseline and post-test using the Katz Activities of Daily Living questionnaire. The product-of-coefficient mediation approach was used to test direct and indirect effects of frailty. Results: Results showed that daily variability of health perceptions plays the role of mediator between frailty and disability. In all the steps, statistically significant results were found. Conclusion: This preliminary result may indicate that physical frailty increases the variability in health perceptions contributing to disability. Keywords: functional decline, loss of autonomy, variability, health outcomes, dynamic systems

Contains fulltext : 102553.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) Driven by existing socialization theories, this study describes specific friendship contexts in which peer influence of alcohol misuse and depressive symptoms occurs. In the fall and spring of the school year, surveys were administered to 704 Italian adolescents (53 % male, M (age) = 15.53) enrolled in Grades 9, 10 and 11. Different friendship contexts were distinguished based on two dimensions referring to the level (i.e., best friendships and friendship networks) and reciprocity (i.e., unilateral and reciprocal) of the relationships. Social network and dyadic analyses were applied in a complementary manner to estimate peer socialization effects across the different friendship contexts. Results showed that within friendship networks both male and female adolescents' alcohol misuse was affected by friends' alcohol misuse, regardless of whether the relationship was reciprocated or not. Conversely, peer socialization of depressive symptoms only emerged within very best friendship dyads of female adolescents. Findings suggest that the effects of peer socialization depend on the friendship context and specific types of behaviors. The theoretical and methodological implications of the findings are discussed. 17 p.

This study investigated the association between physical functioning and activities of daily living (ADL) of elderly people, taking into account the role of cognitive, psychological, and social factors. We administered physical, cognitive, psychological, and social instruments to investigate the level of basic and instrumental activities of daily living (BADL and IADL). The analysis showed that physical functioning was the only individual factor that was significantly linked with the level of BADL and IADL. This study underlines that physical functioning is the main individual characteristic directly associated with the level of BADL and IADL in old age.

This pilot study identified the effect and the feasibility of neuromotor training in a group of ageing women living in a long-term care setting. Thirty-five older women (mean age, 84.18 years; SD = 5.92 years) participated in the study. Twenty women were in the intervention group, and 15 women were in the control group. Data on mobility, activities of daily living (ADL) and fear of falling were collected before and after the 16-week training period. The neuromotor training program was based on concepts from motor control and motor learning. All participants completed the training program, and no adverse events occurred. The intervention group showed steady and significant improvements in mobility, ADL and fear of falling after the intervention, but the control group did not exhibit significant changes. Moreover, mediation analysis demonstrated the role of mobility as a mediator between participation in physical training and fear of falling.

The aim of this study was to assess the direct and indirect effects of a multicomponent exercise (MCE) program on mobility and balance in institutionalized older people. One hundred and twelve subjects (85 women; 83.0 years on average; SD = 7.5) were included in the study, and divided into a MCE-group (MCE-G) and a control group (CG) according to matching techniques. The MCE-G consisted of a 9-month program featuring range-of-motion, strength, and balance exercises performed in small groups. The CG received routine medical and nursing care. The timed up-and-go test and Tinetti Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment balance subscale were administered at baseline and postintervention. After controlling for physical baseline value, age, sex, residential care facilities, and body mass index, the MCE-G showed positive effects both on mobility (p < .001) and balance (p = .001). The role of balance as mediator in the relationship between participation to the MCE program and mobility was demonstrated.

The aims of this study were to investigate the relationship between individual characteristics and HRQOL, and to identify which components of physical frailty measured according to Fried's criteria provided a better explanation of HRQOL. Two hundred and fifty-nine older adults (age 74±6 years; 69% were women) living in Piemonte Region were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Socio-demographic and medical characteristics were captured by self-reported questionnaires. Physical frailty was assessed using the five criteria of Fried: shrinking, weakness, poor endurance and energy, slowness, and low physical activity level. HRQOL was measured with the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), using both the mental (MCS) and the Physical Component Summary (PCS). Among individual characteristics, gender was the best predictor for SF-36, the MCS, and the PCS, with values of R(2) of 12.7%, 12.1%, and 8.8%, respectively. Among the five Fried's criteria, poor endurance and energy had the largest effect on HRQOL with values of ΔR(2) of 13.9% for SF-36, 13.4% for the MCS, and 9.4% for the PCS. Results highlighted the role of the individual characteristics and the single weight of the five components of physical frailty on HRQOL. This knowledge may give new insights about the relations between individual functioning and self-rated health, allowing the development of individualized and more effective preventive interventions for a healthy aging.

This longitudinal study aimed to investigate the contributions of family functioning (in terms of support and control) to the development of civic engagement in term of personal values (i.e., values related to health, school, religion, and disapproval of deviance) as well as participation in groups that pursue cultural, religious-volunteer, and sport goals. The study controlled for sociodemographic factors, such as parental level of education and integrity of the family. Two waves of data were collected among 175 Italian late adolescents at a one-year interval. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that the average level of parental support positively related to both health value and religion value; increased parental control positively related to health value and disapproval of deviance; and average levels of both parental support and control positively related to religious-volunteer group. However, increased parental support negatively related to participation in a cultural group. The discussion focused on the important role of the family in current Italian society for youth socialization in regard to civic engagement. Language: en

Mattia Roppolo,1,2 E Saskia Kunnen,2 Paul L van Geert,2 Anna Mulasso,1 Emanuela Rabaglietti1 1Department of Psychology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy; 2Department of Developmental Psychology, Rijksuniversiteit of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands Abstract: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is a person-centered concept. The analysis of HRQOL is highly relevant in the aged population, which is generally suffering from health decline. Starting from a conceptual dynamic systems model that describes the development of HRQOL in individuals over time, this study aims to develop and test a quantitative dynamic systems model, in order to reveal the possible dynamic trends of HRQOL among older adults. The model is tested in different ways: first, with a calibration procedure to test whether the model produces theoretically plausible results, and second, with a preliminary validation procedure using empirical data of 194 older adults. This first validation tested the prediction that given a particular starting point (first empirical data point), the model will generate dynamic trajectories that lead to the observed endpoint (second empirical data point). The analyses reveal that the quantitative model produces theoretically plausible trajectories, thus providing support for the calibration procedure. Furthermore, the analyses of validation show a good fit between empirical and simulated data. In fact, no differences were found in the comparison between empirical and simulated final data for the same subgroup of participants, whereas the comparison between different subgroups of people resulted in significant differences. These data provide an initial basis of evidence for the dynamic nature of HRQOL during the aging process. Therefore, these data may give new theoretical and applied insights into the study of HRQOL and its development with time in the aging population. Keywords: older adults, dynamic systems model, nonlinear equations, simulated trajectories, validation

Intra-individual variability is a central topic in Nonlinear Dynamical Systems (NDS) studies of human development, because the theory predicts that particular forms or properties of intra-individual variability will serve as indicators or predictors of transitions, bifurcations, and stable states in individual development. Currently, there are almost no studies that address intra-individual changes and variability of Health Related Quality of Life in old age. The main aim of this paper is to analyze the role of day-to-day HRQOL variability and long term HRQOL and disability development in a sample of institutionalized older adults. 22 older adults took part in this longitudinal study. Daily diary-based assessments were made for a period of 100 days. Furthermore, monthly assessments of HRQOL and disability with validated questionnaires were performed. The intra individual variability on a day-to-day basis was found to be related to HRQOL and disability development. Furthermore, life events as operationalized by extreme values in HRQOL were related to the level of day-to-day HRQOL variability. As predicted by NDS theory, day-to-day variability emerges as an important indicator of levels of and changes in HRQOL and disability and as such, it may be an important indicator of developmental processes in old age.