We used national surveys to study how older persons’ changing household patterns influence the gender balance of caregiving in two countries with distinct household structures and cultures, Spain and Sweden. In both countries, men and women provide care equally often for their partner in couple-only households. This has become the most common household type among older persons in Spain and prevails altogether in Sweden. This challenges the traditional dominance of young or middle-aged women as primary caregivers in Spain. In Sweden, many caregivers are old themselves. We focus attention to partners as caregivers and the consequences of changing household structures for caregiving, which may be on the way to gender equality in both countries, with implications for families and for the public services.

Usually it is women who take care of family members in the home, but with age, gender differences become less pronounced and, from 80 years onwards, there are more men caring for a family member – generally their partner – than women. Social and demographic changes are presenting new challenges for public services. In particular, in two-person households with elderly inhabitants, one of whom is dependent, it is necessary to tackle not only the needs of the dependent partner but also those of the carer partner. For this reason, carer support programmes are needed.

Background: Allostatic load (AL) is defined as the cumulative dysregulation of neuroendocrine, immunological, metabolic, and cardiovascular systems that increases the susceptibility to stress-related health problems. Several dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk factors have been identified, yet little is known about the role of AL and its associations with AD biomarkers (e.g., beta-amyloid (Aβ) or tau) and cognitive function among memory clinic patients. Hence, this study aims to assess the association between AL and AD biomarkers, cognitive performance, and cognitive decline after 3-years of follow-up.

Methods: Data from 188 memory clinic patients were derived from the Cortisol and Stress in AD (Co-STAR) study in Sweden. Participants underwent baseline assessments including blood tests for AL measures (including cortisol, thyroid stimulating hormone, cobalamin, homocysteine, leukocytes, glycated hemoglobin, albumin, high-density and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and creatinine), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sampling for AD biomarkers and neuropsychological tests including five cognitive domains. Linear regressions were conducted, adjusting for age, sex, and education.

Results: Higher AL was associated with lower CSF Aβ1-42 levels (β = −0.175, p = 0.025), reflecting higher brain levels of Aβ1-42. Stratified analyses suggested a significant association among women but not men, although the AL-sex interaction was not statistically significant. AL was not significantly associated with T-tau level (β = −0.030, p = 0.682) and P-tau level (β = 0.091, p = 0.980). There were no significant associations between AL and cognition or cognitive decline after 3 years.

Conclusion: This study showed that higher AL was associated with increased brain amyloid accumulation. This suggests that AL may play a role in AD/dementia pathophysiology. Potential sex-related differences should be assessed in further larger studies.

Background

Alcohol consumption in very old age is increasing; yet, little is known about the personal and health-related characteristics associated with different levels of alcohol consumption and the association between alcohol consumption and survival among the oldest old.

Methods

Nationally representative data from the Swedish Panel Study of Living Conditions of the Oldest Old (SWEOLD, ages 76-101; n = 863) collected in 2010/2011 were used. Mortality was analyzed until 2014. Alcohol consumption was measured with questions about frequency and amount. Drinks per month were calculated and categorized as abstainer, light-to-moderate drinker (0.5–30 drinks/month) and heavy drinker (>30 drinks/month). Multinomial logistic regressions and Laplace regressions were performed.

Results

Compared to light-to-moderate drinkers, abstainers had lower levels of education and more functional health problems, while heavy drinkers were more often men, had higher levels of education, and no serious health or functional problems. In models adjusted only for age and sex, abstainers died earlier than drinkers. Among light-to-moderate drinkers, each additional drink/month was associated with longer survival, while among heavy drinkers, each additional drink/month was associated with shorter survival. However, after adjusting for personal and health-related factors, estimates were lower and no longer statistically significant.

Conclusions

The association between alcohol consumption and survival in very old age seems to have an inverse J-shape; abstention and heavy use is associated with shorter survival compared to light-to-moderate drinking. To a large extent, differences in survival are due to differences in baseline health and physical function.

Graphical abstract

Background: Educational environments are considered important in strengthening students’ health status and knowledge, which are associated with good educational outcomes. It has been suggested to establish healthy universities based on a salutogenic approach – namely, health promotion. The aim of this study was to describe health-promoting resources and factors among first-semester students in higher education in healthcare and social work.

Methods: This cross-sectional study is based on a survey distributed among all students in seven healthcare and social work programmes at six universities in southern Sweden. The survey was carried out in 2018 using a self-reported, web-based questionnaire focussing on general health and well-being, lifestyle factors together with three validated instruments measuring health-promoting factors and processes: the Sense of Coherence (SOC) scale, Salutogenic Health Indicator Scale (SHIS) and Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ).

Results: Of 2283 students, 851 (37.3%) completed the survey, of whom 742 (87.1%) were women; 722 (84.8%) were enrolled on healthcare programmes, and 129 (15.2%) were enrolled on social work programmes. Most reported good general health and well-being (88.1% and 83.7%, respectively). The total mean scores for the SOC scale, SHIS and OBQ were, respectively, 59.09 (SD = 11.78), 44.04 (SD = 9.38) and 26.40 (SD = 7.07). Well-being and several healthy lifestyles were related to better general health and higher SOC, SHIS and OBQ scores. Multiple linear and logistic regressions showed that perceived well-being and no sleeping problems significantly predicted higher general health and higher SOC, SHIS and OBQ scores. Being less sedentary and non-smoking habits were significant predictors of higher SOC.

Conclusions: Swedish students in higher education within the healthcare and social work sector report good general health and well-being in the first semester, as well as health-promoting resources (i.e. SOC, SHIS and OBQ), and in some aspects, a healthy lifestyle. High-intensity exercise, no sleeping problems and non-smoking seem to be of importance to both general health and health-promotive resources. This study contributes to knowledge about the health promotive characteristics of students in the healthcare and social work fields, which is of importance for planning universities with a salutogenic approach.

Continuous positive airway pressure is a common and effective treatment for obstructive sleep apnea, but adherence remains an issue. Both obstructive sleep apnea and oral diseases are associated with cardiovascular diseases, and as oral dryness contributes to treatment abandonment, oral health is of importance for this patient group. The aim was therefore to explore how persons with continuous positive airway pressure-treated obstructive sleep apnea experience situations associated with their oral health, and which actions they take to manage these. An explorative and descriptive design was adopted using the critical incident technique. Based on a purposeful selection, 18 adults with long-term experience of continuous positive airway pressure-treatment were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. Both negative and positive situations were described. Negative situations consisted of challenges with breathing, including mouth-breathing, choking sensations, problems with night-time and daytime oral dryness, changes in the saliva composition, and deteriorating oral health. Positive situations included experiences of reduced mouth-breathing and oral dryness. The situations were often successfully managed by mimicking daytime movements, changing sleeping position, adjusting the CPAP-device and mask, increasing oral hygiene efforts, drinking water, using a humidifier or chinstrap, or contacting their oral healthcare clinic. Long-term experience of persons with continuous positive airway pressure-treated obstructive sleep apnea regard situations and actions from everyday life. Successful management can contribute to long-term adherence and decrease negative effects on oral health. More interdisciplinary collaborations could enable identification and adequate recommendations for persons who experience negative situations during their continuous positive airway pressure treatment.

Introduction

Oral health is part of general health, and oral diseases share risk factors with several non-communicable diseases. The World Dental Federation (FDI) has published a theoretical framework illustrating the complex interactions between the core elements of oral health (CEOHs): driving determinants, moderating factors, and general health and well-being. However, the framework does not specify which self-reported or clinical measurements to be included in the CEOHs.

Objectives

To explore oral health measurements relevant for a general adult population to be included in the CEOHs in the FDI's theoretical framework of oral health.

Materials and methods

A psychometric study was performed, using cross-sectional data from Sweden (N = 630, 54% women, mean age 49.7 years). The data set initially consisted of 186 self-reported and clinical measurements. To identify suitable measurements, the selection was discussed in different settings, including both experts and patients. Principal component analyses (PCAs) were performed to explore, reduce and evaluate measurements to be included in the three CEOHs. Internal consistency was estimated by Cronbach's Alpha.

Results

The validation process yielded 13 measurements (four clinical, nine self-reported) in concordance with the CEOHs. PCAs confirmed robust validity regarding the construction, predicting 60.85% of variance, representing psychosocial function (number of measurements = 5), disease and condition status (number of measurements = 4), and physiological function (number of measurements = 4). Cronbach's Alpha indicated good to sufficient internal consistency for each component in the constructs (a = 0.88, 0.68, 0.61, respectively).

Conclusion

In a Swedish general adult population, 13 self-reported and clinical measurements can be relevant to include to operationalise CEOHs in the FDI's theoretical framework.

BACKGROUND: Oral diseases have been associated with cardiovascular diseases, and persons with continuous positive airway pressure [CPAP]-treated obstructive sleep apnoea [OSA] have an increased risk for negative consequences for both oral and general health. CPAP treatment is often life-long and adherence to treatment is essential. Xerostomia is a common side-effect which can lead to treatment abandonment. Oral health is a changeable part of our general health and well-being and exploring the views of oral health determinants from persons with experience of CPAP-treatment is important to prevent adverse oral health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore what persons with experience of CPAP-treated OSA view as determinants for their oral health.

METHODS: Eighteen persons with long-term experience of CPAP-treated OSA were purposively selected. Data were collected by semi-structured individual interviews. A code book based on the World Dental Federation's [FDI] theoretical framework for oral health was developed and used to analyse the data using directed content analysis. The domains in the framework's component driving determinants were used as pre-determined categories. Using the description of driving determinants as a guide, meaning units were extracted from the interview transcripts through an inductive approach. Then, by employing a deductive approach the code book was used to categorise the meaning units into the pre-determined categories.

FINDINGS: The views on oral health determinants described by the informants were compatible with the five domains in the component driving determinants in the FDI's theoretical framework. Ageing, heredity, and salivation (biological and genetic factors), influences from family and the wider society (social environment), location and re-localisation (physical environment), oral hygiene habits, motivation, willingness to change, professional support (health behaviours), and availability, control, finances, and trust (access to care) were viewed as important oral health determinants by the informants.

CONCLUSION: The study points to a variety of individual oral health-related experiences that oral healthcare professionals could consider when designing interventions to reduce xerostomia and prevent adverse oral health outcomes for persons undergoing long-term CPAP-treatment.

Introduction: The World Dental Federation (FDI) has recently proposed a new definition and theoretical framework of oral health. The theoretical framework includes 4 main components and describes the relationships amongst them. In 2020, an international work group proposed the minimum Adult Oral Health Standard Set (AOHSS) of variables to measure oral health, which was mapped onto the FDI's theoretical framework. By using an empirical data set, the proposed variables in the AOHSS and the potential interactions amongst the components of the FDI's theoretical framework can be tested. The purpose of this research was to investigate structural relations of the components of the FDI's theoretical framework of oral health based on data from a general adult population.

Methods: Data from a previously conducted Swedish cross-sectional study focusing on oral health were utilised (N = 630; women, 55.2%; mean age, 49.7 years [SD, 19.2]). Variable selection was guided by the AOHSS. Structural equation modeling was used to analyse relationships amongst the components of the FDI's theoretical model (core elements of oral health, driving determinants, moderating factors, and overall health and well-being).

Results: The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP)-14, xerostomia, and aesthetic satisfaction had statistically significant direct effects on overall health and well-being (p < .05). Driving determinants and moderating factors had statistically significant direct effects on all core elements of oral health (p < .05) except aesthetic satisfaction (p = .616). The predictors explained 24.1% of the variance of the latent variable overall health and well-being. Based on several indices, the proposed model showed acceptable model fit.

Conclusions: The FDI's theoretical framework can be used to describe different components of oral health and the relationship amongst them in an adult general population. Further research based on the FDI's theoretical framework in other populations and settings is needed to explore complex interactions and possible relationships that form oral health and to investigate other or additional important social determinants.

Objective: To examine the regular use of quality indicators from Swedish cardiovascular National Quality Registries (NQRs) by clinical staff; particularly differences in use between the two NQRs and between nurses and physicians.

Design: Cross-sectional online survey study.

Setting: Two Swedish cardiovascular NQRs: a) Swedish Heart Failure Registry and b) Swedeheart.

Participants: Clinicians (n=185; 70% nurses, 26% physicians) via the NQRs’ email networks.

Main outcome measures: Frequency of NQR use for a) producing healthcare activity statistics; b) comparing results between similar departments; c) sharing results with colleagues; d) identifying areas for quality improvement (QI); e) surveilling the impact of QI efforts; f) monitoring effects of implementation of new treatment methods; g) doing research; h) educating and informing healthcare professionals and patients.

Results: Median use of NQRs was ten times a year (25th and 75th percentiles range: 3 – 23 times/year). Quality indicators from the NQRs were used mainly for producing healthcare activity statistics. Median use of Swedeheart was six times greater than SwedeHF (p<0.000). Physicians used the NQRs more than twice as often as nurses (18 vs. 7.5 times/year; p<0.000) and perceived NQR work more often as meaningful. Around twice as many Swedeheart users had the role to participate in data analysis and in QI efforts compared to SwedeHF users.

Conclusions: Most respondents used quality indicators from the two cardiovascular NQRs infrequently (< 3 times/year). The results indicate that linking registration of quality indicators to using them for QI activities increases their routine use and makes them meaningful tools for professionals.

Secure care in Sweden is the most intrusive child welfare intervention, and children and their family members have restricted contact. For each child in secure care, there are at least twice as many affected family members and parents who must manage the consequences of this institutionalization. Clearly, it is just as important to understand how secure care affects parents as it is to understand how secure care affects children. To address this issue, we conducted in-depth interviews with 11 parents to eight children who had been placed in secure care during their childhood, focusing on the institutional and societal structures that affected these parents and their parenting. With a narrative approach, stories alluding to a metaphor of war are identified. These stories reveal how all parents (but especially single mothers) are affected by their diverse socio-economic positions and the rigid frames of family life presumed by child welfare interventions. In these narratives, parenting emerges as a social practice rather than a skill. Above all, the stories demonstrate a great deal of vulnerability and sensitivity of parenting. The findings raise critical questions about the meaning and overarching consequences of institutional interventions in a family life. 

Utilizing forest gardens as urban settings for outdoor environmental education in Sweden is a new practice. These forest gardens combine qualities of a forest, e.g., multi-layered polyculture vegetation, with those of a school garden, such as accessibility and food production. The study explores both the perceived qualities of forest gardens in comparison to other outdoor settings and forest garden educators’ ideas, purposes, and experiences of activities in a three-year forest gardening project with primary school children. The data were collected through interviews and observations and analyzed qualitatively. Four reported ideas were to give children opportunities to: feel a sense of belonging to a whole; experience self-regulation and systemic dependence; experience that they can co-create with non-human organisms; and imagine possible transformation of places. Four pedagogical forest garden features are discussed.

Problem: Early onset, prevalence, and predictors of substance use - tobacco, alcohol-drinking, alcohol-drunkenness, and drugs - were studied in 13 and 14-year-old boys and girls in Sweden.

Methods: Self-reported data in four communities were used (n = 1,716). A large set of psychological and social factors were tried as predictors of early onset use (n = 1,459).

Results: There were few gender differences and low prevalence. Primary predictor for early onset in tobacco use was availability; perceived parental approval for alcohol use, and delinquent behaviors for alcohol-drunkenness and drug use.

Conclusions: Individual behavioral factors and parental norms seem to be most important in this age.

This article applies the concepts of place and space to understand youth and their engagement in risky behavior, such as drunkenness. It is based on the prolonged engagement with 23 underage youth coming from smaller municipalities in the south of Sweden. The study was comprised of semi-structured interviews, field visits, and observations at sites relevant for youths. In the stories narrated by youth, drunkenness is no longer an ad hoc activity conducted somewhere at the margins of society. The construction of drinking spaces was accomplished through highly managed, monitored, and organized practices, such as sending out invitations in advance, planning how much alcohol to drink, designating drivers, and securing transport means. Crucial to this was that spaces were products of relations existing between various youth, with no adults present. Spaces of drinking changed as those who participated in their construction changed. In addition, certain rules and codes of conduct (e.g. taking care of friends who drunk too much) were enforced to assure that the constructed spaces provided a sense of safety and enabled having fun. We conclude this article by arguing that a focus on place and space brings forward vital aspects in understanding the role of transforming party spaces that would otherwise remain obscure to social work knowledge and practice.

Inspektionen för vård och omsorg (IVO) har i sin tillsynspolicy lagt fokus på att främja lärande för att stödja utvecklingen av god kvalitet och säkerhet i vård och omsorg. Under 2017 har IVO givit Jönköping Academy for Improvement of Health and Welfare vid Jönköping University i uppdrag att utvärdera tillämpning av lärande tillsyn. Syftet med denna studie var att belysa om, och om möjligt hur, IVO:s tillsyn kan stödja verksamhetsutveckling och förbättring i de tillsynade verksamheter. Det finns många teoribildningar kring lärande och kvalitetsutveckling. Denna rapport tar utgångspunkt i teorier om organisatoriskt lärande, samskapande och förbättringskunskap och belyser vad som kan bidra, och i så fall hur, till en ömsesidig tillit som leder till ett fördjupat lärande som grund för förbättring.

Studien omfattar två tillsyner, där deltagarna bestod av personal från de berörda verksamheterna, samt IVO-inspektörer från de regionala IVO avdelningar. Det empiriska materialet samlades in genom intervjuer och en observation. En dokumentgenomgång av relevanta IVO dokument skapade underlag för utvecklandet av studiens intervjuguider. Intervjuerna bandades, transkriberades och analyserades med en metod inspirerad av tematisk analys, som utmynnade i fem teman: (I) Förberedelse inför tillsyn; (II) Genomförande i verksamheten; (III) Resultat i verksamheten; (IV) Förutsättningar för lärande; och (V) Önskemål för ökat lärande. Samtliga teman innehåller både förhållanden som stödjer (främjar) och som försvårar (hindrar) lärande:

• Förberedelsearbetet ansågs inte bidra till en ökad tillit som förutsättning för lärande. Det uttrycktes en önskan om mer samskapande i förberedelsearbetet redan innan tillsynstillfället
• Det framkom önskemål om att lärandet, som ett av målen med tillsynen, skulle lyftas tydligare i dialogen vid tillsynstillfället.
• Det uppfattades som svårt att peka på reella resultat i verksamheterna som direkt berodde på tillsynen, men det beskrevs ändå som viktigt att tillsynen fanns.
• Det fanns olika uppfattningar om hur IVO:s roll som tillsynsmyndighet påverkade lärandet. Ett större fokus på gemensam uppföljning skulle vara ett sätt att optimera lärandet både i verksamheterna och hos IVO:s inspektörer.
• Ett lärande skulle gynnas av en tydlig gemensam problembeskrivning, samt fortlöpande uppföljningar och delad kunskap, exempelvis genom goda exempel och dialogkonferenser.

Generellt fanns en stor samstämmighet mellan IVO:s inspektörer och de verksamhetsföreträdare som intervjuats, men vissa skillnader framkom också. Rapporten avslutas med några avslutande reflektioner.

Breakthrough Collaborative (BC) aims at learning through networking, mainly at micro level, and is used as a tool to improve care and welfare organizations. The aim of this study was to explore and illuminate the challenges when applying BC model at meso and macro level. In 2010, the Swedish Health and Medical Services Act stated the responsibility of healthcare professionals to consider children’s needs as relatives. This study uses an interactive collaborative research model. To support healthcare organizations in the implementation of the regulation, county councils/regions in Sweden were invited to take part in a BC during 2015. Six teams from different county councils/regions participated. Team members were interviewed several times during the project time. Data were analyzed with an explorative and descriptive qualitative content analysis. The result illuminates the challenges faced when applying BC at meso and macro level. Most challenges concern preparation, support structures and system connections. There are similarities with the challenges met at micro level when BC is used at meso and macro level. But it seems even more important to consider how the team is constituted at meso and macro level to make use of the learnings and achieve long-term impact in the home organization.

The purpose of this study was to elucidate conditions at all system levels in a specific health care service to develop practices for identification of children as relatives. An interactive research approach with the intention to create mutual learning between practice and research was used. The participating health care service cared for both clinic in- and outpatients with psychiatric disorders. Health care professionals from different system levels (micro, meso, macro) participated, representing different professions. At the first project meeting, it was obvious that there was no systematic approach to identify children as relatives. At the micro level, activities such as a pilot survey and an open house activity were carried out. At the meso level, it was discussed how to better support collaboration between units. At the management (macro) level, it was decided that all units should appoint at least one child agent, with the aim to increase collaboration throughout the whole health care service. To change focus, in this case from only parents to inclusion of children, is an important challenge faced by health care services when forced to incorporate new policies and regulations. The new regulations contribute to increased complexity in already complex organizations. This study highlights that such challenges are underestimated.

During the industrialization period, the rate of workplace-related accidents increased. Because of the lack of public insurance, mutual health insurance societies became the main providers of workplace accident insurance among workers. Due to large differences in accident risk, health insurance societies were potentially exposed to the risk of adverse selection, since they employed equal pricing for all members regardless of risk profile. This article investigates the impact of workplace accident risk on health insurance selection and outcomes. We employ household budget surveys encompassing urban workers in Sweden during the early twentieth century. We find evidence for a redistribution from low- to high-risk-exposed workers, as workplace accident risk had a significant and positive impact on receiving health insurance benefits, also when controlling for a variety of factors. Workers exposed to greater risks in the workplace were more likely to have health insurance but did not pay higher premiums. The redistribution from low- to high-risk-exposed workers was largely accepted and viewed as an act of solidarity between workers. Given that health insurance societies were aware of this redistribution, we argue for the presence of informed, rather than adverse, selection.

Ingress: En del saker återkommer i det allmänna medvetandet och forskas om, gång på gång. Dit hör bilden av de äldres isolering. Två emeritusprofessorer förhåller sig dock skeptiska till den hajpade Svenska Ensamheten.

Background: Sexual health is an important issue in daily life, but little is known about occupational therapy (OT) students’ views on these matters.

Aim: To explore occupational therapy students’ views on addressing sexual health in their future professional role.

Material and methods: A descriptive qualitative study involving 37 OT students in 5 focus groups was performed and analyzed using content analysis.

Results: Three categories: ‘Sexual health is part of occupational therapy and but not of the OT educational program’; ‘Need for knowledge to identify and intervene related to sexual health problems’; and finally, ‘Communication about sexual health—unknown, untried, but necessary’, formed the theme, ‘Willing to try, wanting to know more, and recognizing not only the difficulties and challenges but also the importance of sexual health in OT practice’.

Conclusions: OT-students consider sexual health as part of OT-practice, but experience lack of knowledge of sexual health related to disease/disability, cultural diversity, and age and sexual orientation. Educational programs need to cover these matters, including how to address sexual health in OT-practice, to enhance OT’s future competence related to promotion of sexual health for clients.

Significance: Knowledge on students’ views are vital to guide education on this important, rather neglected, area. 

Aims: This study aimed to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on lifestyle and social activities among older adults in Sweden, with a special focus on differences between the ‘younger old’ (aged 77–84) and ‘older old’ (aged 85–109).

Methods: This study is based on a nationally representative sample of older adults (aged ⩾77 years) in Sweden (SWEOLD). Data were collected between May 2021 and April 2022, when many recommendations were removed but the virus was still classified as a public health disease. We studied occurrences and differences between the two age groups in several lifestyle factors and social activities.

Results: The younger old displayed larger changes in lifestyles because of the pandemic than the older old. Most changes were found in social interactions with family.

Conclusions: Our results highlight the large heterogeneity within the Swedish population aged ⩾77 years, and that the younger old experienced a bigger lifestyle change than the older old. Previous activity levels might be important to consider in order to understand how regulations may affect the older population. Finally, our findings indicate large age differences in Internet use, which require attention to prevent digital exclusion of an already vulnerable group.

Ageism has been shown to have a negative impact on older people's health and wellbeing. Though multiple scales are currently being used to measure this increasingly important issue, syntheses of the psychometric properties of these scales are unavailable. This means that existing estimates of ageism prevalence may not be accurate. We conducted a systematic review aimed at identifying available ageism scales and evaluating their scope and psychometric properties. A comprehensive search strategy was used across fourteen different databases, including PubMed and CINAHL. Independent reviewers extracted data and appraised risk of bias following the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) guidelines. Of the 29,664 records identified, 106 studies, assessing 11 explicit scales of ageism, were eligible for inclusion. Only one scale, the 'Expectations Regarding Aging' met minimum requirements for psychometric validation (i.e., adequate content validity, structural validity and internal consistency). Still, this scale only assesses the 'stereotype' dimension of ageism, thus failing to evaluate the other two ageism dimensions (prejudice and discrimination). This paper highlights the need to develop and validate a scale that accounts for the multidimensional nature of ageism. Having a scale that can accurately measure ageism prevalence is key in a time of increasing and rapid population ageing, where the magnitude of this phenomenon may be increasing.

This article analyses the visibility of unpaid care work in Scotland by examining the (non-)development of discourse on unpaid care work in economic policy documents. Drawing on the problem approach to policy analysis, the article engages with the Equality Budget Statements (EBS) as policy documents that not only inform the government’s spending plans but are foremost statements of values and norms pursued by the government. This critical reading reveals that certain discourses give different meanings to women’s lives through the political significance of what remains unproblematized as part of the ensuing care discourse in Scotland. The developing discourse on economic policy and equality suggests that equality in Scotland is presupposed on labour market participation. This shrinks discourse on unpaid care work; the problem of unpaid care work is silenced, while the problem of women’s access to employment is redefined to mean a problem of difference and costly childcare only. The way certain issues have or have not appeared in governmental documents is explanatory of the importance and relevance of unpaid care work to the political discourse.

Background: frailty shows an upward trajectory with age, and higher levels increase the risk of mortality. However, it is less known whether the shape of frailty trajectories differs by age at death or whether the rate of change in frailty is associated with mortality. Objectives: to assess population frailty trajectories by age at death and to analyse whether the current level of the frailty index (FI) i.e. the most recent measurement or the person-specific rate of change is more predictive of mortality. Methods: 3,689 individuals from three population-based cohorts with up to 15 repeated measurements of the Rockwood frailty index were analysed. The FI trajectories were assessed by stratifying the sample into four age-at-death groups: <70, 70-80, 80-90 and >90 years. Generalised survival models were used in the survival analysis. Results: the FI trajectories by age at death showed that those who died at <70 years had a steadily increasing trajectory throughout the 40 years before death, whereas those who died at the oldest ages only accrued deficits from age similar to 75 onwards. Higher level of FI was independently associated with increased risk of mortality (hazard ratio 1.68, 95% confidence interval 1.47-1.91), whereas the rate of change was no longer significant after accounting for the current FI level. The effect of the FI level did not weaken with time elapsed since the last measurement. Conclusions: Frailty trajectories differ as a function of age-at-death category. The current level of FI is a stronger marker for risk stratification than the rate of change.

Background Frailty has been identified as a risk factor for cognitive impairment and dementia. However, it is not known whether familial factors, such as genetics and shared environmental factors, underlie this association. We analyzed the association between frailty and the risk of dementia in a large twin cohort and examined the role of familial factors in the association. Methods The Rockwood frailty index (FI) based on 44 health deficits was used to assess frailty. The population-level association between FI and the risk of all-cause dementia was analyzed in 41,550 participants of the Screening Across the Lifespan Twin (SALT) study (full sample, aged 41-97 years at baseline), using Cox and competing risk models. A subsample of 10,487 SALT participants aged 65 and older who received a cognitive assessment (cognitive sample) was used in a sensitivity analysis to assess the effect of baseline cognitive level on the FI-dementia association. To analyze the influence of familial effects on the FI-dementia association, a within-pair analysis was performed. The within-pair model was also used to assess whether the risk conferred by frailty varies by age at FI assessment. Results A total of 3183 individuals were diagnosed with dementia during the 19-year follow-up. A 10% increase in FI was associated with an increased risk of dementia (hazard ratio [HR] 1.17 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07, 1.18)) in the full sample adjusted for age, sex, education, and tobacco use. A significant association was likewise found in the cognitive sample, with an HR of 1.13 (95% CI 1.09, 1.20), adjusted for age, sex, and cognitive level at baseline. The associations were not attenuated when adjusted for APOE e4 carrier status or considering the competing risk of death. After adjusting for familial effects, we found no evidence for statistically significant attenuation of the effect. The risk conferred by higher FI on dementia was constant after age 50 until very old age. Conclusions A higher level of frailty predicts the risk of dementia and the association appears independent of familial factors. Targeting frailty might thus contribute to preventing or delaying dementia.

Background: Illness behaviors—or affective, cognitive, and behavioral responses to symptoms of illness—predict patient outcomes, including symptom exacerbation and functional recovery, and they account for a large proportion of U.S. healthcare costs. Although priorcross-sectional work has examined illness behaviors like symptom reporting in isolation, the measurement of illness behavior using a longitudinal, multi-indicator approach has yet to be explored.

Aim: We evaluated illness behavior as a latent, developmental construct in the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging (SATSA).

Method: Participants were up to 1,886 individuals (from 1,223 twin pairs) ages 29 to 102 years (Mage baseline = 62.32 years; SD =13.69; 59% Female). Illness behavior indicators included somatic complaints, non-prescription medication use, pain-related disability and perceived illness complications. The psychomotor retardation subscale of the CES-D was used to index somatic complaints, and medication use was a simple composite of 9 dichotomous items on participants’ use of non-prescription medications, such as over-the-counter analgesics, in the previous month. Pain-related disability included a simple composite of three dichotomous items on the presence of neck,back, or shoulder pain that prevented participants from performing daily tasks or activities. Perceived illness disability was a composite of difference scores, calculated from subtracting a physician panel’s objective ratings of disability for each of 35 medical conditions (on a 3-pointscale; 1= Little or no disability; 3= Severe disability) from participants’ self-ratings of how much each of the same endorsed medical conditions interfered with their daily lives (on the same 3-point scale; 1= Not at all; 3= A lot). Positive composite scores reflected higher perceived disability relative to what was expected from the objective ratings, whereas a composite score of zero reflected “accuracy” or agreement in perceived illness complications. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to evaluate invariance in the loadings of these four indicatorson a latent illness behavior factor across four questionnaire waves (1987-2004).

Findings: Confirmatory factor analyses revealed moderate factor loadings of the four indicators (standardized loadings ranged from .49 to .52, all ps < .0001). Also, practical fit indices from the nested model comparisons suggested strong factorial invariance in the loadings across time (CFI = .96; TLI = .95, RMSEA= .03, 90% CI: [.026, .035]).

Conclusion: Illness behavior as a latent, multi-indicator construct represents a promising focus for longitudinal work on behavior change and maintenance.

The prolongation of life expectancy has opened unprecedented opportunities for the growth of aggregate resources, accumulation of human capital, and the use of individual human potential. Moreover, as the measure of human responsibility for personal development throughout life increases (Blair and Schroeder 2000), the importance of education level increases, especially with regard to ensuring the continued social, economic, psychological, and emotional well-being of older adults. The focus on the association between education level and the subjective perception of well-being among older adults is motivated by the fact that this is currently the fastest growing age group in the world. Regarding Russia, the number of people past retirement age is 24% of the population now. An aging society requires fundamental changes in socioeconomic policies, especially those that focus on the needs of senior citizens. However, it is important to consider regional differences. In particular, the Tomsk region has been recognized as one of the country’s top producers of university students. In fact, the region exceeds the Russian average by more than one-and-a half. In addition, one in five citizens is in the older age group while the proportion of those aged 60 years and above is steadily increasing.

In response to the rising financial pressure on old-age pension systems in industrialised economies, many European countries plan to increase the eligibility age for retirement pensions. We used data from Sweden to examine whether (and if so, how) retirement after age 65 - the eligibility age for basic pension - compared to retiring earlier affects older adults' (between ages 70 and 85) cognitive functioning. Using a propensity score matching (PSM) approach, we addressed the selection bias potentially introduced by non-random selection into either early or late retirement. We also examined average and heterogeneous treatment effects (HTEs). HTEs were evaluated for different levels of cognitive stimulation from occupational activities before retirement and from leisure activities after retirement. We drew from a rich longitudinal data-set linking two nationally representative Swedish surveys with a register data-set and found that, on average, individuals who retire after age 65 do not have a higher level of cognitive functioning than those who retire earlier. Similarly, we did not observe HTEs from occupational activities. With respect to leisure activities, we found no systematic effects on cognitive functioning among those working beyond age 65. We conclude that, in general, retirement age does not seem to affect cognitive functioning in old age. Yet, the rising retirement age may put substantial pressure on individuals who suffer from poor health at the end of their occupational career, potentially exacerbating social- and health-related inequalities among older people.

The Louisville Twin Study (LTS) began in 1958 and became a premier longitudinal twin study of cognitive development. The LTS continuously collected data from twins through 2000 after which the study closed indefinitely due to lack of funding. Now that the majority of the sample is age 40 or older (61.36%, N = 1770), the LTS childhood data can be linked to midlife cognitive functioning, among other physical, biological, social, and psychiatric outcomes. We report results from two pilot studies in anticipation of beginning the midlife phase of the LTS. The first pilot study was a participant tracking study, in which we showed that approximately 90% of the Louisville families randomly sampled (N = 203) for the study could be found. The second pilot study consisted of 40 in-person interviews in which twins completed cognitive, memory, biometric, and functional ability measures. The main purpose of the second study was to correlate midlife measures of cognitive functioning to a measure of biological age, which is an alternative index to chronological age that quantifies age as a function of the breakdown of structural and functional physiological systems, and then to relate both of these measures to twins’ cognitive developmental trajectories. Midlife IQ was uncorrelated with biological age (−.01) while better scores on episodic memory more strongly correlated with lower biological age (−.19 to −.31). As expected, midlife IQ positively correlated with IQ measures collected throughout childhood and adolescence. Additionally, positive linear rates of change in FSIQ scores in childhood significantly correlated with biological age (−.68), physical functioning (.71), and functional ability (−.55), suggesting that cognitive development predicts lower biological age, better physical functioning, and better functional ability. In sum, the Louisville twins can be relocated to investigate whether and how early and midlife cognitive and physical health factors contribute to cognitive aging. 

Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has an impact on an individual's quality of life and general health, and can also affect their oral health. The patient's experiences, together with intraoral signs and symptoms could indicate the presence of OSA. Knowledge that the patient has, or is at high risk for having OSA can help the dental healthcare provider maintain the oral health and general health for these patients. The purpose was to explore dentists and dental hygienists' experiences when encountering adult patients with potential, untreated and treated OSA.

Methods: A qualitative inductive approach was used. Experienced dentists and dental hygienists working within Swedish Public Dental Service were strategically selected. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were performed followed by qualitative content analysis.

Results: Interviews from 13 participants, seven dental hygienist and six dentists, led to three areas describing varied experience: Importance of the patient encounter and identifying intraoral signs both of which describe experiences related to the importance of the initial unstructured conversation and focused clinical assessments, and strategies for nurturing care which point to interest about care, treatment, and collaborations with medical health care providers.

Conclusions: Dental professionals are not able to consistently recognize patients who have, or are at high risk for OSA. During the patient encounter, is it important to determine if a patient is at risk for, or has oral signs of OSA.

A prolonged working life is crucial for sustaining social welfare and fiscal stability for countries facing ageing populations. The group of older adults is not homogeneous; however, differences within the group may affect the propensity to continue working and to participate in continuing education. The aim of this paper is to explore how participation in work and education vary with gender, age, and education level in a sample of older adults. The study was performed in Sweden, a context characterized by high female labour-market-participation rates and a high average retirement age. The participants were 232 members of four of the major senior citizens? organizations. We found no differences in participation in work and education based on gender. People older than 75 years were found to be as active as people 65?75 years old in education, but the older group worked less. There were positive associations between education level and participation in both work and education. Hence, this study implies that socio-economic inequalities along these dimensions are widened later in life. This highlights the importance of engaging workers with lower education levels in educational efforts throughout life. It also emphasizes the need for true lifelong learning in society.