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Research on the Gerontology: Improving the Quality of Life and Health of the Older Adults

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Aging".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 6598

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jack Roberto Silva Fhon

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Guest Editor

Nursing School, Escola de Enfermagem da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil
Interests: gerontology; mental health; health promotion; older adults

Prof. Dr. Fabia Maria De Lima

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Faculdade de Enfermagem Nossa Senhora das Graças, Universidade de Pernambuco, Recife 52171-011, Brazil
Interests: gerontology; mental health; health promotion; older adults

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Society has given little importance to old age, and treated it with rejection. This statement is harsh, but real, as it is a constant practice in a modern and current social culture that sees the elderly as a person with many health problems, placing them in a position of frailty and dependence, which affects their quality of life.
With the advancement of technology and health care, life expectancy has increased considerably. Health professionals, especially those who work with geriatrics and gerontology, have worked to improve access to health services and identify syndromes in the elderly and to support the family.
In this sense, this Special Issue aims to disseminate the knowledge of researchers working in the field of geriatrics and gerontology and who carry out research in gerontology to improve the quality of life and health of the elderly.

Prof. Dr. Jack Roberto Silva Fhon
Prof. Dr. Fabia Maria De Lima
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

aged
geriatrics
health personnel
quality of life
functional status
frailty
health services accessibility

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 316 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cognitive Impairment and Non-Communicable Diseases in Egypt’s Aging Population: Insights and Implications from the 2021–2022 Pilot of “A Longitudinal Study of Egyptian Healthy Aging” “AL-SEHA”

by Sara A. Moustafa, Reem Deif, Nada Gaballah and Mohamed Salama

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(2), 151; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21020151 - 29 Jan 2024

Viewed by 1299

Abstract

As the global population ages, the prevalence of cognitive impairment among older individuals has been steadily rising. Like many countries, Egypt is grappling with the challenges an aging demographic poses. The global network of longitudinal aging studies, modeled after the US Health and Retirement Study (HRS), includes over 40 countries but lacks representation from the Arab/North African region. The proposed ‘A Longitudinal Study of Egyptian Healthy Aging’ (AL-SEHA) will address this gap by providing data on aging in Egypt, the largest Arab/North African country, shedding light on the intricate relationship between cognitive impairment and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Egypt’s aging population between 2021 and 2022. This study took place in five governments in Egypt and recruited 299 participants from a population of 50+. The results of the study are from the pilot stage of the original longitudinal study (AL-SEHA). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on the Gerontology: Improving the Quality of Life and Health of the Older Adults)

24 pages, 1416 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sociosanitary Legal and Economic Aspects in Nursing Homes for the Elderly in Spain

by Cristina Vilaplana-Prieto, Carmelo S. Gómez Martínez, Paloma Echevarría Pérez and Isabel Legaz

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(6), 4928; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20064928 - 10 Mar 2023

Viewed by 1102

Abstract

Aim: The study aimed to identify and compare aspects of the different Spanish regulations on the minimum conditions that nursing homes must meet and to compare whether these requirements significantly affect the price of a nursing home place in each region. Methods: We analyzed and compared the 17 regional regulations that must be met by nursing homes in terms of equipment and social and healthcare staff and combined this information with regional information concerning the price and coverage of public and subsidized places in nursing homes. Results: The study revealed significant regional inequality in physical facilities and human resources. However, the number of regulatory measures referring to the mandatory availability of physical space or specific material resources was not positively correlated with an increase in the price of a place in a public or subsidized nursing home. Conclusions: No unified regulations throughout Spain regulate the aspects that residential centers must comply with. There is a need to move towards a person-centered approach, providing an environment as close to home as possible. The regulation of minimum standards to be met by all nursing homes at the national level should not significantly impact prices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on the Gerontology: Improving the Quality of Life and Health of the Older Adults)

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11 pages, 1093 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Version of the OPQOL-Brief

by Natalia Perogil-Barragán, Santiago Gomez-Paniagua, Jorge Rojo-Ramos, María José González-Becerra, Sabina Barrios-Fernández, Konstantinos Gianikellis, Antonio Castillo-Paredes, Julián Carvajal-Gil and Laura Muñoz-Bermejo

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 2062; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032062 - 23 Jan 2023

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Abstract

Background: Ageing and its consequences on quality of life is one of the main issues to be addressed by public organizations; therefore the development of tools for its evaluation is a priority issue to orientate lines of action. Therefore, the objective of this research is to carry out cross-cultural adaptation and present the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Older People’s Quality of Life Questionnaire-Brief (OPQOL-Brief). Methods: a cross-cultural adaptation was carried out together with a process of translation and back-translation of the scale. The OPQOL-Brief and a sociodemographic questionnaire were administered to 120 older adults aged over 65 from a healthcare setting in the region of Extremadura. Results: the exploratory analysis revealed a factor structure through a matrix of polychoric correlations divided in two intercorrelated factors, consisting of 12 items and with excellent sample adequacy indices (KMO = 0.846’; Bartlett test = 1268.1; p = 0.000). Then, the confirmatory factor analysis established the definitive model with exceptional goodness-of-fit indices (NNFI = 0.99; CFI = 0.99; CMIN/DF = 0.96; Ρ (χ²) = 0.22; RMSEA = 0.037 and RMSR = 0.040). Finally, Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega for internal consistency reported good values of 0.830 and 0.851, respectively. Conclusion: our findings show that the OPQOL-Brief exhibits a solution with 12 elements and related constructs, providing stable goodness-of-fit indicators as well as good and remarkable consistency ratings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on the Gerontology: Improving the Quality of Life and Health of the Older Adults)

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Other

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11 pages, 758 KiB

Open AccessSystematic Review

Association between Sarcopenia, Falls, and Cognitive Impairment in Older People: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

by Jack Roberto Silva Fhon, Alice Regina Felipe Silva, Eveline Fontes Costa Lima, Alexandre Pereira dos Santos Neto, Ángela Maria Henao-Castaño, Elizabeth Fajardo-Ramos and Vilanice Alves Araújo Püschel

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(5), 4156; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054156 - 25 Feb 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1981

Abstract

With the aging process, elderly people present changes in their bodies that can lead them to suffer several geriatric syndromes. The present study aimed to analyze and synthesize the literature produced concerning the association of sarcopenia with falls in elderly people with cognitive impairment. This is a systematic review study on etiology and risk, conducted according to the JBI methodology using the Medline (Pubmed), Cinahl, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. The gray literature search was conducted in the CAPES Brazilian Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations, Google Scholar, Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD), EBSCO Open Dissertations, DART-e, and ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication. The identification of the association between the variables was extracted from the articles themselves (Odds Ratio and the 95% Confidence Intervals). Four articles published between 2012 and 2021 were included in this review. A prevalence of falls was identified, ranging from 14.2% to 23.1%, of cognitive impairment ranging from 24.1% to 60.8%, and of sarcopenia ranging from 6.1 to 26.6%. The meta-analysis found that elderly people with cognitive impairment who suffer falls are at a 1.88 times greater risk of presenting sarcopenia (p = 0.01). There is evidence of an association between the variables, but it is necessary to conduct follow-up studies to support this association as well as other factors that may influence the senescence and senility process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on the Gerontology: Improving the Quality of Life and Health of the Older Adults)

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