Changes of antero-posterior distribution of CNV and late positive component as a function of information processing demands.
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Attention↗
Biomedical subjects
L W Poon
Publications and source records attributed to L W Poon.
Psychosocial correlates of subjective health in sexagenarians, octogenarians, and centenarians.
The purpose of this study was to determine if a psychosocial model was a significant improvement over a demographic or a physical health model in predicting subjective health in older adults. Correlates of subjective health in sexagenarians, octogenarians, and centenarians were examined with hierarchical regression analysis. Data were obtained in the first wave of the Georgia Centenarian Study from 1988 to 1992. Psychosocial variables helped explain a significant component of subjective health variance above and beyond the effects of demographic or physical health variables. For centenarians an apprehensive personality and low levels of control over health were additional correlates of poor subjective health. Centenarians were the only cohort to have a unique set of correlates, indicating a uniqueness in the oldest-old, as compared to the young-old and old-old. These findings indicate that a multidimensional perspective of health in older adults is more appropriate than medical models.
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Age-related differences in the time course of encoding.
The speed with which normal elderly and young subjects encoded digits in a speeded same/different matching task was investigated. One condition required a judgment based on physical identity, while in a second condition judgments were based on an odd/even dichotomy. The pattern of results demonstrated a slowing in the speed of encoding in the older subjects. This effect, while statistically significant, was slight.
Adolescent↗
Social and psychological resources in the oldest old.
The purpose of this study was to compare mental health resources, activities of daily living, and social and economic resources in three age groups: centenarians, octogenarians, and sexagenarians. Two hundred and seventy-two older adults were assessed with the Older Americans Resources and Services Survey (OARS). Frequency analyses revealed that centanarians rated lower in social and psychological resources than the other two age groups.
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Mental health and number of illnesses are predictors of nutritional risk in elderly persons.
Data from a sample of elders (N = 240) in their 60s, 80s, and 100s indicated that nutritional risk was positively correlated with age (p < .05), ethnicity (p < .05), number of illnesses (p < .001), and poor mental health (p < .001). Regression analysis suggested that number of illnesses (p = .0001) and mental health (p = .0005) were the most significant predictors of nutritional risk and that these two variables explained 28.8% of the variance for the total sample. Somatic factors of mental health were significantly related to nutritional risk (p = .0001). Regression analyses for these age cohorts indicated that mental health was a highly significant predictor of nutritional risk for 80- to 89-year-olds (p = .004), particularly somatic aspects of mental health (p = .03). Although somatic factors were highly significant among centenarians (p = .005), overall mental health was not a predictor of nutritional risk in centenarians (p = .08). Number of illnesses was the primary predictor of nutritional risk among sexagenarians and octogenarians.
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Racial differences in health status and health behaviors of older adults.
BACKGROUND: Little is known about racial differences in health status and health behaviors of older adults, especially among the oldest old. OBJECTIVES: To investigate racial differences in health status and health behaviors of African American and Caucasian older adults and to identify factors that influence health behaviors of older adults. METHOD: A descriptive comparative study using data from the Georgia Centenarian Study was conducted. The subjects were 248 older adults (181 Caucasians and 67 African Americans) ranging in age from 60 to 107 years. Demographic characteristics, health status, and four health behaviors were assessed. RESULTS: African Americans had significantly lower mental health (p < .001) and poorer self-perceived health (p < .01) than did their Caucasian counterparts; however, when covaried with education and income, racial differences in self-perceived health were eliminated, and differences in mental health decreased but remained significant (p < .05). Using univariate analyses, only two health behaviors, physical activity and eating breakfast regularly, showed significant racial differences. Relatively few older adults participated in leisure-time physical activity. Logistic regression analyses indicated that race was not significantly related to any health behaviors. Age, gender, and physical health status were most frequently related to health behaviors. CONCLUSION: The findings indicated no robust racial differences in health status and health behaviors, especially when education and income were controlled. More research is recommended to clarify the factors that explain health behaviors of older adults.
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Locus of control and vasomotor response to sensory processing.
Heart rate and forearm blood flow responses were measured during experimental tasks requiring sensory intake, sensory rejection, and a mixture of the two behaviors. Subjects were 29 college students who had been categorized using Rotter's locus of control scale. Significant increases in both cardiovascular indices were seen in all three tasks; the responses were smaller, however, during sensory intake. Internals showed a differential response of forearm blood flow. In contrast, externals showed a similar vasodiatation across all tasks. The findings indicate that some of the variability in cariovascular response to sensory processing may be explained by individual differences in personality charcteristics related to subjects' perferred level of involvement in differing sensory processing behaviors.
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Physical health measurement of the older adult: new instrumentation.
The Georgia Centenarian Study examines the biologic, psychologic, and social factors contributing to life satisfaction and successful aging in late adulthood. Three age groups are included, 60 through 69 years, 80 through 89 years, and 100+ years. While the overall theoretical model includes multiple variables, physical health is viewed as critical to successful aging. This article presents an overview of physical health measurement for older persons. Some existing measures of physical health are included in the test battery for the Georgia Centenarian Study; however, the investigators determined the need for the inclusion of a new instrument. This article describes existing measures as well as the rationale and process of development of a new instrument.
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Age-related changes in the neurologic examination of healthy sexagenarians, octogenarians, and centenarians.
Although numerous studies have focused on age-related changes in the nervous system, few have systematically assessed global neurologic examination changes, and even fewer have included the most elderly population, ie, the centenarians. To perform such a study, we developed a quantitative assessment that includes the major components of a standard bedside neurologic evaluation, with special emphasis on cognitive function. First, we demonstrated that the quantitated examination could correctly classify healthy controls and patients with stroke or dementia based on discriminant analysis. This examination was then applied to healthy community-dwelling elderly ranging from 60 to 108 years of age. Significant age-related neurobehavioral changes were apparent across even these most "successfully" aged groups. Analysis of the full pattern of cognitive and neurologic findings provided the most accurate assessment. Pathologic reflexes, reportedly associated with normal aging, occurred infrequently in this healthy geriatric population, suggesting that age-related changes in the neurologic examination may be more accurately interpreted when assessed in conjunction with cognitive status. This quantitative examination may be useful in future population-based studies of neurologic function in the aged.
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