Leveraging community Wi-Fi and spaces for digital health use.

Digital health disparities continue to affect marginalized populations, especially older adults, individuals with low-income, and racial/ethnic minorities, intensifying the challenges these populations face in accessing healthcare. Bridging this digital divide is essential, as digital access and literacy are social determinants of health that can impact digital health use and access to care. This article discusses the potential of leveraging community Wi-Fi and spaces to improve digital access and digital health use, as well as the challenges and opportunities associated with this strategy. The existing limited evidence has shown the possibility of using community Wi-Fi and spaces, such as public libraries, to facilitate telehealth services. However, privacy and security issues from using public Wi-Fi and spaces remain a concern for librarians and healthcare professionals. To advance digital equity, efforts from multilevel stakeholders to improve users' digital access and literacy and offer tailored technology support in the community are required. Ultimately, leveraging community Wi-Fi and spaces offers a promising avenue to expand digital health accessibility and use, highlighting the critical role of collaborative efforts in overcoming digital health disparities.

Age Disparities in Access to First and Repeat Kidney Transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that older patients are less frequently placed on the waiting list for kidney transplantation (KT) than their younger counterparts. The trends and magnitude of this age disparity in access to first KT and repeat KT (re-KT) remain unclear. METHODS: Using the US Renal Data System, we identified 2 496 743 adult transplant-naive dialysis patients and 110 338 adult recipients with graft failure between 1995 and 2018. We characterized the secular trends of age disparities and used Cox proportional hazard models to compare the chances of listing and receiving first KT versus re-KT by age (18-64 y versus ≥65 y). RESULTS: Older transplant-naive dialysis patients were less likely to be listed (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 0.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.17-0.18) and receive first KT (aHR = 0.88; 95% CI, 0.87-0.89) compared with their younger counterparts. Additionally, older patients with graft failure had a lower chance of being listed (aHR = 0.40; 95% CI, 0.38-0.41) and receiving re-KT (aHR = 0.76; 95% CI, 0.72-0.81). The magnitude of the age disparity in being listed for first KT was greater than that for re-KT ( Pinteraction < 0.001), and there were no differences in the age disparities in receiving first KT or re-KT ( Pinteraction = 0.13). Between 1995 and 2018, the age disparity in listing for first KT reduced significantly ( P < 0.001), but the age disparities in re-KT remained the same ( P = 0.16). CONCLUSIONS: Age disparities exist in access to both first KT and re-KT; however, some of this disparity is attenuated among older adults with graft failure. As the proportion of older patients with graft failure rises, a better understanding of factors that preclude their candidacy and identification of appropriate older patients are needed.

Life Space and Activity Space Measurement: Making 'Room' for Structural Racism.

As we age, the ability to move is foundational to health. Life space is one measure of a person's ability to move and engage in activity beyond the home. A separate but related concept is activity space, a measurement of a person's spatial behaviors and visited locations that include social networks, neighborhoods, and institutions. In this article, we integrate the literature on life space and activity space discussing how physical function is not only determined by individual capabilities, but also by the surrounding social and environmental factors which may limit their agency. We show how structural racism contributes to inequities within this paradigm linking related concepts of movement, agency, belonging, and timing. We also explore implications for research and theory for mobility, social connection, and activity.

Context Matters: A Qualitative Synthesis of Adherence Literature for People on Hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND: Patients with ESKD treated with hemodialysis in the United States have persistently higher rates of nonadherence compared with patients in other developed countries. Nonadherence is associated with an increased risk of death and higher medical expenditure. There is an urgent need to address it with feasible, effective interventions as the prevalence of patients on hemodialysis in the United States continues to grow. However, published adherence interventions demonstrate limited long-term efficacy. METHODS: We conducted a synthesis of qualitative studies on adherence to hemodialysis treatment, medications, and fluid and dietary restrictions to identify gaps in published adherence interventions, searching PubMed, CINAHL, PsychInfo, Embase, and Web of Science databases. We analyzed qualitative data with a priori codes derived from the World Health Organization's adherence framework and subsequent codes from thematic analysis. RESULTS: We screened 1775 articles and extracted qualitative data from 12. The qualitative data revealed 20 factors unique to hemodialysis across the World Health Organization's five dimensions of adherence. In addition, two overarching themes emerged from the data: (1) adherence in the context of patients' whole lives and (2) dialysis treatment as a double-edged sword. Patient-level factors reflected in the qualitative data extended beyond knowledge about hemodialysis treatment or motivation to adhere to treatment. Patients described a profound grieving process over the loss of their "old self" that impacted adherence. They also navigated complex challenges that could be exacerbated by social determinants of health as they balanced treatment, life tasks, and social roles. CONCLUSIONS: This review adds to the growing evidence that one-size-fits-all approaches to improving adherence among patients on hemodialysis are inadequate. Adherence may improve when routine care incorporates patient context and provides ongoing support to patients and families as they navigate the logistical, physical, and psychological hardships of living with dialysis. New research is urgently needed to guide a change in course.

Loneliness is Associated With Lower Coping Self-Efficacy Among Older Adults.

To address the gap of lacking research on the association between coping self-efficacy and loneliness, this study examined this relationship to inform future research and intervention on loneliness. Using data from 151 community-dwelling older adults ages 65 and older, we estimated multivariate logistic regression models with age, race/ethnicity, sex, body mass index, chronic disease composite score, social support, coping self-efficacy, and depression symptoms. Loneliness was reported in 32.1% of participants and negatively associated with coping self-efficacy (OR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.50-0.93) while controlling for age, race, sex, chronic disease composite score, and body mass index. Our findings suggest that coping self-efficacy may be a target for intervention involving loneliness in future research; however, the causal relationship between coping self-efficacy and loneliness should be explored further.

COVID-19: Implications for Nursing and Health Care in the United States.

PURPOSE: COVID-19 and other recent infectious disease outbreaks have highlighted the urgency of robust, resilient health systems. We may now have the opportunity to reform the flawed health care system that made COVID-19 far more damaging in the United States (U.S.) than necessary. DESIGN AND METHODS: Guided by the World Health Organization (WHO) Health System Building Blocks framework (WHO, 2007) and the socio-ecological model (e.g., McLeroy et al., 1988), we identified challenges in and strengths of the U.S.' handling of the pandemic, lessons learned, and policy implications for more resilient future health care delivery in the U.S. Using the aforementioned frameworks, we identified crucial, intertwined domains that have influenced and been influenced by health care delivery in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic through a review and analysis of the COVID-19 literature and the collective expertise of a panel of research and clinical experts. An iterative process using a modified Delphi technique was used to reach consensus. FINDINGS: Four critically important, inter-related domains needing improvement individually, interpersonally, within communities, and for critical public policy reform were identified: Social determinants of health, mental health, communication, and the nursing workforce. CONCLUSIONS: The four domains identified in this analysis demonstrate the challenges generated or intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic, their dynamic interconnectedness, and the critical importance of health equity to resilient health systems, an effective pandemic response, and better health for all. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The novel coronavirus is unlikely to be the last pandemic in the U.S. and globally. To control COVID-19 and prevent unnecessary suffering and social and economic damage from future pandemics, the U.S. will need to improve its capacity to protect the public's health. Complex problems require multi-level solutions across critical domains. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored four interrelated domains that reveal and compound deep underlying problems in the socioeconomic structure and health care system of the U.S. In so doing, however, the pandemic illuminates the way toward reforms that could improve our ability not only to cope with likely future epidemics but also to better serve the health care needs of the entire population. This article highlights the pressing need for multi-level individual, interpersonal, community, and public policy reforms to improve clinical care and public health outcomes in the current COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics, and offers recommendations to achieve these aims.

Physical Resilience Phenotype Trajectories in Incident Hemodialysis: Characterization and Mortality Risk Assessment.

Introduction: Although life-saving, the physiologic stress of hemodialysis initiation contributes to physical impairment in some patients. Mortality risk assessment following hemodialysis initiation is underdeveloped and does not account for change over time. Measures of physical resilience, the ability of a physiologic state to overcome physiologic stressors, may help identify patients at higher mortality risk and inform clinical management. Methods: We created 3 resilience categories (improving, stable, and declining) for trajectories of 4 phenotypes (physical function [PF], mental health [MH], vitality [VT], and general health [GH]) using SF-36 data collected the first year after hemodialysis initiation in the Choices for Healthy Outcomes in Caring for ESKD (CHOICE) study on 394 adults aged more than 55 years. Using mixed effects and Cox proportional hazard modeling, we assessed mortality following the first year on dialysis by resilience categories for each phenotype, adjusting for baseline phenotype and other confounders defined a priori over 4 years average follow-up. Results: Based on global Wald tests, statistically significant associations of PF (P = 0.03) and VT (P = 0.0004) resilience categories with mortality were found independent of covariates. Declining PF trajectory was associated with higher mortality risk (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05-1.66), whereas improving VT trajectory was associated with lower mortality risk (HR= 0.73; 95% CI, 0.53 to 1.00), each as compared to stable trajectory. Conclusion: Decreased resilience in PF and VT was independently associated with mortality. Phenotypic trajectories provide added value to baseline markers and patient characteristics when evaluating mortality. Hence, resilience measures hold promise for targeting population health interventions to the highest risk patients.

An mHealth-Facilitated Personalized Intervention for Physical Activity and Sleep in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

This randomized controlled pilot trial tested the preliminary effect of a 24-week mHealth-facilitated, personalized intervention on physical activity (PA) and sleep in 21 community-dwelling older adults. The intervention included a personalized exercise prescription, training, goal setting, and financial incentives. mHealth strategies, including self-monitoring, motivational messages, activity reminders, and phone coaching, were used to facilitate PA participation. PA and sleep were measured using actigraphy and questionnaires at baseline and 8-, 16-, and 24-week visits. Participants in the intervention group had lower objective PA levels at 24 weeks than at 8 and 16 weeks, although levels of PA remained higher than at baseline. Compared with the control group, the intervention increased PA at 8, 16, and 24 weeks; improved subjective sleep quality at 16 and 24 weeks; and increased actigraphy-measured sleep duration and sleep efficiency at 24 weeks. mHealth PA interventions may benefit PA and sleep in older adults. Strategies for maintaining long-term PA behavioral changes are needed.

Self-efficacy proxy predicts frailty incidence over time in non-institutionalized older adults.

BACKGROUND: Physical frailty is defined as a syndrome of decreased physiologic reserve conferring vulnerability to functional decline, mortality, and other adverse outcomes upon experiencing stressors. Self-efficacy, which is confidence in one's ability to perform well in a domain of life, is modifiable. Self-efficacy is associated with improved health behavior and decreased chronic disease burden. Its relationship to frailty is unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a general self-efficacy proxy predicts incident frailty. METHODS: A nationally representative sample of 4825 U.S. older adults aged 65 and older living in the community or non-nursing home care setting enrolled in the National Health and Aging Trends Study from 2011 to 2018 was used. Self-efficacy was dichotomized into low and high groups using the one-item self-efficacy proxy measure. The Physical Frailty Phenotype was used to categorize participants as frail and non-frail. A discrete time hazard model using data from eight rounds was used to obtain incident hazard ratios of frailty in two models. Model 1 was adjusted for age, race, sex, education, and income. Model 2 contained Model 1 covariates and added disability and comorbidities. RESULTS: Among people without frailty at baseline, risk of developing frailty over 7 years was increased by 41% among those with low versus high self-efficacy after adjustment for sociodemographics (P = 0.002), and by 27% after further adjustment for disability and comorbidities (P = 0.032). CONCLUSION: This study generates a rationale to further explore self-efficacy in frailty research. Self-efficacy may be a key modifiable element to incorporate into multimodal physical frailty interventions.

Pilot Outcomes of a Multicomponent Fall Risk Program Integrated Into Daily Lives of Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Objectives: To evaluate whether a fall prevention intervention reduces fall risk in older adults who have previously fallen. Design: Randomized controlled pilot trial. Setting: Participants' homes. Intervention: LIVE-LiFE, adapted from Lifestyle-Intervention Functional Exercise (LiFE) integrates strength and balance training into daily habits in eight visits over 12 weeks. The adaptations to LiFE were to also provide (a) US$500 in home safety changes, (b) vision contrast screening and referral, and (c) medication recommendations. Control condition consisted of fall prevention materials and individualized fall risk summary. Measurement: Timed Up and Go (TUG) and Tandem stand. Falls efficacy, feasibility, and acceptability of the intervention. Results: Sample (N = 37) was 65% female, 65% White, and average 77 years. Compared with the control group, each outcome improved in the intervention. The LIVE-LiFE intervention had a large effect (1.1) for tandem stand, moderate (0.5) in falls efficacy, and small (0.1) in the TUG. Conclusion: Simultaneously addressing preventable fall risk factors is feasible.

High coping self-efficacy associated with lower odds of pre-frailty/frailty in older adults with chronic disease.

OBJECTIVES: Frailty affects an estimated 15% of community dwelling older adults. Few studies look at psychosocial variables like self-efficacy (confidence to perform well at a particular task or life domain) in relation to frailty. The purpose of this study was to evaluate associations between pre-frailty/frailty and self-efficacy. METHODS: This cross-sectional study enrolled community dwelling older adults 65 and older (N = 146) with at least one chronic condition. Scales included: 5-item FRAIL scale (including measures of Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illnesses, and Loss of weight); coping self-efficacy used to measure confidence in one's ability to problem solve, emotionally regulate and ask for support when problems in life occur; illness intrusiveness; patient health questionnaire to assess depressive symptoms; financial strain; life events count; social support; heart rate; tobacco use and body mass index. Logistic regression was used for model development. RESULTS: Roughly half (49.3%) of the participants were frail/pre-frail. High coping self-efficacy was associated with a 92% decreased odds of pre-frailty/frailty after adjustment for age, sex, race, co-morbidities, heart rate, a life events count, and body mass index. This relationship remained significant when illness intrusiveness and depression scores were added to the model (OR: 0.10; p-value = 0.014). Increases in age, co-morbidities, heart rate and body mass index were also significantly associated with higher adjusted odds of pre-frailty/frailty. CONCLUSIONS: High coping self-efficacy was associated with greater odds of a robust state. Further consideration should be given to coping self-efficacy in frailty research and intervention development.

Achieving self-management goals among low income older adults with functional limitations.

Although self-management interventions can improve symptoms and disease among older adults, there is a dearth of literature on how self-management behaviors may improve factors related to the older adults' physical function. To fill this gap in the literature, we describe the patient-directed self-management goals in nursing visits that relate to physical function as part of a multi-component program. We analyze the self-management goals and outcomes of 367 low- income older adults with functional limitations who participated in the CAPABLE program: a program to reduce the health effects of impaired physical function in low-income older adults. We focus on the following self-management goals that participants chose with the nurses: pain management, depressive symptoms, incontinence, fall prevention, and communication with healthcare providers. The majority of participants chose pain (50%) or fall prevention (51%) as goals and partially or fully met their goals. Improvements across these areas may lead to improved physical function.

Preventing falls among older fallers: study protocol for a two-phase pilot study of the multicomponent LIVE LiFE program.

BACKGROUND: Falls reflect sentinel events in older adults, with significant negative consequences. Although fall risk factors have been identified as intrinsic (e.g., muscle weakness, balance problems) and extrinsic (e.g., home hazards), most prevention programs target only intrinsic factors. We present the rationale and design of a home-based multicomponent fall prevention program-the LIVE LiFE program-for community-living older adults. The program adapts and expands the successful Lifestyle Intervention Functional Exercise (LiFE) program by adding home safety, vision contrast screening, and medication review. The specific aims of the study are to (1) adapt the LiFE program to a US context and expand it into a multicomponent program (LIVE LiFE) addressing intrinsic and extrinsic fall risks, (2) examine feasibility and acceptability, and (3) estimate program impact on multiple outcome measures to prepare for an efficacy trial. METHODS: The study involves two phases: an open-label pilot, followed by a two-group, single-blinded randomized pilot trial. Eligible participants are community-living adults 70+ years reporting at least one injurious fall or two non-injurious falls in the previous year. Participants are randomized in a 2:1 ratio to the program group (LIVE LiFE, n = 25) or the control group (written fall risk assessment, n = 12). The open-label pilot participants (n = 3) receive the program without randomization and are assessed based on their experience, resulting in a stronger emphasis on the participant's personal goals being integrated into LIVE LiFE. Fall risk and balance outcomes are assessed by the Timed Up and Go and the 4-Stage Balance Test at 16 weeks. Additional outcomes are incidence of falls and near falls, falls efficacy, fear of falling, number of home hazards, and medications assessed at 16 weeks. Incidence of falls and near falls, program adherence, and satisfaction are assessed again at 32 weeks. DISCUSSION: By expanding and adapting the evidence-based LiFE program, our study will help us understand the feasibility of conducting a multicomponent program and estimate its impact on multiple outcome measures. This will support moving forward with an efficacy trial of the LIVE LiFE program for older adults who are at risk of falling. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03351413 . Registered on 22 November 2017.

Loneliness in middle age and biomarkers of systemic inflammation: Findings from Midlife in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: Middle-aged adults who are lonely have an elevated likelihood of death. Systemic inflammation may contribute to these increased odds. Using population-level data, this study tested if systemic inflammation is associated with loneliness in a broad age range of middle-aged adults in the United States. METHODS: This study used data from the Midlife in the US (MIDUS) survey Biomarker Project, which collected data on psychological, social, and physiological measures from a sample of middle-aged adults. This sample included the 927 participants who were 35-64 years at Biomarker Project data collection. MIDUS collected baseline data from 1995-1996 and a follow-up survey was conducted from 2004-2006. The baseline Milwaukee sample of African Americans was collected in 2005-2006 and the biomarker database was collected in 2004-2009. Biomarkers were obtained from a fasting blood sample. Self-reported loneliness was categorized as feeling lonely or not feeling lonely. Hierarchical regressions examined the association between biomarkers of systemic inflammation (interleukin-6, fibrinogen, C-reactive protein) and feeling lonely, adjusted for covariates. RESULTS: Twenty-nine percent of the sample reported feeling lonely most or some of the time. There was a positive significant relationship between loneliness and the three systemic inflammation biomarkers after controlling for covariates: interleukin-6 (n = 873) (b [se] = 0.07 [0.03], p = .014); fibrinogen (n = 867) (b [se] = 18.24 [7.12], p = .011); and C-reactive protein (n = 867) (b [se] = 0.08 [0.04], p = .035). CONCLUSIONS: Feeling lonely is associated with systemic inflammation in middle-aged community-dwelling US adults.

Using sweat to measure cytokines in older adults compared to younger adults: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Current measures of cytokines involve urine, blood or saliva which have drawbacks including circadian rhythm variations and complicated collection methods. Sweat has been used to measure cytokines in young and middle-aged adults, but not older adults. We sought to determine the feasibility of using sweat to measure cytokines in older adults compared to younger adults. DESIGN: Two visit cross-sectional pilot study stratified by age group. SETTING: Independent living facility and Johns Hopkins University both in Maryland. PARTICIPANTS: 23 community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older and 26 adults aged 18-40 were included. Those with active cancer treatment or with a known terminal illness diagnosis were excluded. MEASUREMENTS: Sweat interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were collected using a non-invasive sweat patch worn for 72h by each participant. Samples were measured with a single molecule array (SIMOA) technology for ultrasensitive, multiplexed detection of proteins. RESULTS: 23 older adults and 26 younger adults with mean ages of 77±8.0years and 28±5.5years, respectively, completed the study. Both groups had high rates of compliance with patch wearing and removal. Higher concentrations of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-10 were observed in older adults compared to younger adults, which remained significant after controlling for race, sex, body mass index, and chronic disease count (0.110±0.030 vs. 0.054±0.020pg/mL, 0.089±0.012 vs. 0.048±0.018pg/mL, and 0.124±0.029 vs. 0.067±0.025pg/mL, respectively). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that sweat patches are a feasible method to collect cytokine data from older adults. Preliminary group differences in cytokine measurement between older and younger groups correspond with current literature that cytokines increase with age, suggesting that sweat measurement using the sweat patch provides a new method of exploring the impact of inflammation on aging. Further research using sweat and the sweat patch is recommended.