Improving quality of life in old age: the role of regular physical activity

Physical activity in old age has been shown to produce considerable physiological, psychological and social benefits. However, many older adults take very little exercise. Lack of facilities or meaningful role models together with social and cultural expectations concerning the appropriateness of physical activity for older adults have been cited as reasons for lack of involvement. The development of intergenerational programs is suggested as a potential means of increasing the proportion of older individuals who participate in regular physical exercise.     

Biochemical markers of bone metabolism in healthy elderly men. The relationship to physical activity

The purpose of the present study was to examine the serum levels of bone turnover markers and interleukin 1β in healthy elderly men with different levels of habitual physical activity. The study was conducted on 40 healthy men aged between 65 and 85 years (mean 74.0?±?7.55 years). The study population was divided into two groups with respect to the level of physical activity: 22 less active subjects (energy expenditure related to physical activity below 1600?kcal per week) and 18 more active subjects (above 1600?kcal per week). To estimate the physical activity of the study population, weekly energy expenditure was measured in each subject with use of Caltrac accelerometer. In the blood serum levels of bone formation marker – osteocalcin and resorption marker – the C-terminal telopeptide of collagen I (ICTP), and interleukin-1β were determined. Concentrations of osteocalcin and ICTP in less active subjects were significantly higher (by 3.62?ng/ml and by 1.21?μg/l respectively, p?<?0.05), reflecting the higher bone turnover in comparison to values determined in more active subjects. Positive correlations between ICTP and osteocalcin levels (r?=?0.5814 and r?=?0.6526; p?<?0.05), and between ICTP and IL-1β (r?=?0.5823 and r =?0.6040; p?<?0.05) in less and more active men were found. On the ground of the presented study it can be concluded that the decreased bone turnover occurred in men with higher level of habitual physical activity. This study showed the relationship between serum level of IL-1β and bone resorption but the habitual physical activity has no effect on this cytokine activity.     

Insulin resistance,oxidative stress markers and the blood antioxidant system in overweight elderly men

The purpose of the study was to examine in the blood of overweight men aged from 62 to 83 years, the relationships between age and insulin resistance, selected parameters of the oxidative stress, and the antioxidant defense system. The population studied was divided into two groups: the group ‘young-old’ consisted of men aged 62 to 74 years old, and the group ‘old-old’– of men aged between 75 and 83 years. The total antioxidative status (TAS) and concentrations of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were measured in the blood plasma. In the serum samples, the levels of antibodies against oxidized LDL (oLAB), glucose, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and insulin were measured. Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA_IR) was calculated. Concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase activity (GPx) were determined in the red blood cells hemolysate. The results of the study did not show significant differences between groups investigated with respect to concentrations of TBARS, TAS, GSH and GPx. However, significantly higher concentrations of glucose and antibodies against oxLDL (p < 0.05) were observed in the group of men over 74 years old in comparison to the group of ‘young-old’ men. It was indicated that the increased insulin resistance and hyperglycemia in elderly men are related to body mass and that they cause intensified oxidative modifications of LDL.     

Correlation between pelvic floor strength and physical activity level in healthy men

The male pelvic floor muscles comprise a pair of compound muscle layers referred to as the levator ani. Studies have shown that pelvic floor muscle strength is affected by physical activity. This study aimed to assess male pelvic floor muscle strength through manometry of the external anal sphincter and evaluation of its association with physical activity level, BMI, and rectal pressure in healthy men. To assess physical activity level over the previous week, we used the International Physical Activity Questionnaire 8 (IPAQ). Pelvic floor muscle strength was assessed via anorectal manometry. The results shows a negative correlation between resting pressure and MET, a positive correlation between rectal pressure and resting and maximum pressure. The novel finding of this study is a negative correlation between walking and pelvic floor strength. This study raises new questions about the understanding of the interaction among physical activity, intraabdominal pressure, and pelvic floor strength in the physiology of continence in men.     

The impact of physical health and socioeconomic factors on sexual activity in middle-aged and elderly Taiwanese men

Sexual activity in older people has become a topic of growing interest. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of physical health and socioeconomic factors on the sexual activity of middle-aged and elderly Taiwanese men. From August 2007 to April 2008, 744 men older than 40 years were enrolled from a free health screening in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. All participants received detailed physical examination and answered questionnaires that collected demographic and lifestyle information, and medical history as well as answered items from the International Prostate Symptoms Score and five-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5). Overall, 100 (13.4%) participants reported to be sexually inactive in previous 6 months. Older age, lower education levels, loss of a partner, erectile dysfunction, and increased number of comorbidities were found to be independent predictors for sexual inactivity. In conclusion, most middle-aged and elderly Taiwanese men remain sexually active. In addition to erectile dysfunction and loss of a partner, lower education levels and increased number of comorbidities were found to be predictors for sexual inactivity. Further research would need to elucidate whether improvement of those factors could help to preserve sexual activity.     

Testosterone and leptin in older African-American men: relationship to age,strength, function,and season

Reproduced with permission     

Sexual activity and risk taking in young heterosexual men: The relevance of sexual arousability,mood, and sensation seeking

In this research we explored three aspects of personality relevant to sexual activity and sexual risk taking in heterosexual men. Men with low inhibition of sexual arousal in the face of risk (low SIS2) reported more partners with whom they use no condoms and more lifetime “one night stands.” Men who experience increased sexual interest in states of depression (MSQ) reported more partners in the past year and more one night stands. The disinhibition subscale of the Sensation Seeking Scale was predictive of whether sexual intercourse had occurred in the past 6 months, and also of the number of sexual partners in the past year. A measure of an intention to practice safer sex was strongly related to measures of sexual arousability and inhibition (SIS/SES). We discuss some clear similarities and also some interesting differences with a parallel study of gay men. Individual differences in sexual excitation and inhibition proneness and the relation between mood and sexuality are clearly relevant to high‐risk sexual behavior and should be taken into consideration when designing behavioral interventions.     

Exploring the relationship between employment-based social capital, job stress, burnout, and intent to leave among child protection workers: An age-based path analysis model

Research suggests that age and organizational factors are consistently linked with job stress, burnout, and intent to leave among child protection workers. However, no study has contextualized how age matters with regards to these adverse employee outcomes. We conducted a theory driven path analysis that identifies sources of employment-based social capital, job stress, burnout, and intent to leave among two age groups. We used a statewide purposive sample of 209 respondents from a public child welfare organization in a New England state in the United States. Results suggest that the paths to job stress, burnout and intent to leave differed by age group. Social capital dimensions were more influential in safeguarding against job stress for older workers compared to younger workers. Our results justify creating workplace interventions for younger workers that target areas of the organization where relational support could enhance the quality of social interactions within the organization. Organizations may need to establish intervention efforts aimed at younger workers by creating different structures of support that can assist them to better deal with the pressures and demands of child protection work.     

Time to care: socioeconomic,family, and workplace factors in men and women’s parental leave use

ABSTRACT

Parental leave has important benefits for women, men, and families. This study examines how individual, family, and workplace factors are associated with the length of parental leaves taken by workers in diverse jobs and work contexts, but with the same employer, focusing on gender differences in the factors associated with longer parental leaves. The data are the result of a collaboration between university researchers and a municipal employer. We find that gender was a major driver of the duration of parental leaves for these workers, who must use their accumulated paid time off or take unpaid leave for parental leave; women’s leaves were almost three times longer than men’s. We also find gender differences in the factors associated with leave duration. For women, socioeconomic status seemed to matter most, while for men, family and workplace context influenced leave length. The results indicate the centrality of financial considerations in parents’ leave decisions, reinforcing the importance of having a dedicated paid parental leave policy. We argue that paid parental leaves would help reduce disparities between and within genders at work and in the family.     

‘I just don't want to connect my life with this occupation’: working‐class young men,manual labour,and social mobility in contemporary Russia

A key strand in the Western literature on working‐class masculinities focuses on whether young men are capable of the feminized performances apparently required of them in new service economies. However, the wider literature on processes of neoliberalization – emphasizing the ‘hollowing out’ of labour markets, the cultural devaluation of lower‐skilled forms of employment, and the pathologization of working‐class lives – would suggest that it is as much a classed as a gendered transformation that is demanded of young men leaving school with few qualifications. This dimension of neoliberalization is highlighted by ethnographic data exploring the experiences and subjectivities of young workers in St Petersburg, Russia, where traditional forms of manual labour have not given way to ‘feminized’ work, but have become materially and symbolically impoverished, and are perceived as incapable of supporting the wider transition into adult independence. In this context, young workers attempt to emulate new forms of ‘successful masculinity’ connected with novel service sector professions and the emergent higher education system, despite the unlikelihood of overcoming a range of structural and cultural barriers. These acquiescent, individualized responses indicate that, while ways of being a man are apparently being liberated from old constraints amongst the more privileged, neoliberalization narrows the range of subject positions available to working‐class young men.     

Revisiting the digital divide in Canada: the impact of demographic factors on access to the internet,level of online activity,and social networking site usage

The present study relies on the 2010 Canadian Internet Use Survey to investigate differences in people's access to the internet and level of online activity. The study not only revisits the digital divide in the Canadian context, but also expands current investigations by including an analysis of how demographic factors affect social networking site (SNS) adoption. The findings demonstrate that access to the internet reflects existing inequalities in society with income, education, rural/urban, immigration status, and age all affecting adoption patterns. Furthermore, the results show that inequality in access to the internet is now being mimicked in the level of online activity of internet users. More recent immigrants to Canada have lower rates of internet access; however, recent immigrants who are online have significantly higher levels of online activity than Canadian born residents and earlier immigrants. Additionally, women perform fewer activities online than men. People's use of SNSs differs in terms of education, gender, and age. Women were significantly more likely to use SNSs than men. Interestingly, high school graduates had the lowest percentage of adoption compared to all other education categories. Current students were by far the group that utilized SNSs the most. Canadian born, recent, and early immigrants all showed similar adoption rates of SNSs. Age is a strong predictor of SNS usage, with young people relying heavily on SNSs in comparison to those aged 55+. The findings demonstrate that the digital divide not only persists, but has expanded to include inequality in the level of online activity and SNS usage.