Fiorella Marcellini

Outdoor mobility and social relationships of elderly people.

Social relationships and activities are important elements in the quality of life of older people. With advancing age, they are made more difficult through the possible loss of physical functions, through societal processes of differentiation, and through unfavourable environmental and technological conditions. Therefore, mobility becomes a fundamental prerequisite for the participation in social relations and activities. This article presents some initial findings of a project which investigates the mobility needs of the elderly and the main factors hindering their desired mobility in three European countries. It became apparent that there is a clear connection between the social situation of elderly persons and specific mobility patterns: if they are tied into a closely meshed network of family or friends, then they are away from home more frequently than when this is not the case. In addition, individual factors like the age, the health situation and the driving ability of a person are important influences. External factors which restrict the mobility can be found in the respective spatial or technical conditions, on the one hand, and in affecting social interactions in the public sphere on the other hand.

WHY DO OLDER DRIVERS REDUCE DRIVING? FINDINGS FROM THREE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

The objective of this study was to find out the reasons, which lead drivers to reduce their driving in varying cultural settings. Data on the prevalence of reduced driving, the reasons for and factors associated with reduced driving were obtained from Finnish, German and Italian home-dwelling active drivers (n=710) aged 55 and older. The subjects were interviewed in autumn 1995 at their homes with a standardized questionnaire as a part of the European project Keeping the Elderly Mobile: Technology to Meet Their Outdoor Mobility Needs. In the Finnish and German samples 62% and in the Italian sample 44% of the active drivers stated that they had reduced their driving. These persons drove fewer kilometres, less often and avoided more situations in traffic than the others. Both similarities and differences were found among the reasons given for reduction in driving. Commonly stated reasons included being able to reach everything without a car, health reasons, too hectic traffic and retirement. Binary logistic regression administered separately for each location revealed that retirement was associated with reduced driving in all locations. Older age, changes in leisure activities and chronic conditions were significantly associated in at least one of the locations. In addition, reduced driving was more likely among drivers living in former West Germany than former East Germany. The results confirm the effect of retirement and age on reducing the amount of driving, but also underscore the effect of the personal and environmental resources available.

Zinc, metallothioneins, and longevity--effect of zinc supplementation: zincage study.

Abstract:  Aging is an inevitable biological process that is associated with gradual and spontaneous biochemical and physiological changes and increased susceptibility to diseases. Because nutritional factors are involved in improving immune functions, metabolic harmony, and antioxidant defense, some nutritional factors, such as zinc, may modify susceptibility to disease and promote healthy aging. In vitro (human lymphocytes exposed to endotoxins) and in vivo (old or young mice fed with low zinc dietary intake) studies revealed that zinc is important for immune efficiency (innate and adaptive), antioxidant activity (supeoxide dismutase), and cell differentiation via clusterin/apolipoprotein J. Intracellular zinc homeostasis is regulated by metallothioneins (MT) via ion release through the reduction of thiol groups in the MT molecule. This process is crucial in aging because high MT levels are not able to release zinc, resulting in low intracellular free ion availability for biological functions. Improvement in these functions occurs in the elderly after physiological zinc supplementation. In this study, the selection of elderly subjects for zinc supplementation is discussed in relation to the genetic background of MT and pro‐inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin‐6, because the latter is involved both in MT‐gene expression and in intracellular zinc homeostasis.

The outdoor mobility and leisure activities of older people in five European countries.

ABSTRACT Many gerontological studies have dealt with the leisure activities of older people and they have generated many important theories. Although outdoor activities and mobility promote good health in old age, both decrease with increasing age as people lose physical and mental functions. This paper examines the outdoor and indoor leisure activities of 3,950 older adults and their variations by personal and environmental characteristics in Germany, Finland, Hungary, The Netherlands and Italy. The main dimensions of activity were established by factor analysis, and in all countries four factors were found: home activities, hobbies, social activities, and sports activities. Both similar and distinctive pursuits characterised each dimension among the five countries. ‘Home activities’ mainly comprised indoor activities, but the other three dimensions involved more physical mobility. The scores of various socio-environmental characteristics on the factors enabled the attributes of the participants to be profiled. Sports activities and hobbies were performed more often by younger men, by those with good physical functioning and by those who drove cars. Social activities were performed more by women and those who used public transport. Home activities were more frequently performed by those with low physical function and women.

Associations of personal and mobility resources with subjective well-being among older adults in Italy and Germany.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the patterns of associations of personal and mobility resources with positive well-being in two sample populations of older adults from Germany (n=1518) and Italy (n=600). A correlation study showed which variables correlated the closest with the well-being components, then four logistic regression analyses were performed, one for each well-being component such as the positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS) positive scale, mobility satisfaction, health satisfaction and life satisfaction. High positive scores of PANAS and satisfaction scales were found both for Germany and Italy. As expected and in accordance with previous studies, components utilized as a measure of subjective well-being correlated significantly with each other in both countries, confirming their validity as instruments of evaluation for several different life domains. A considerable result of this study was that the driving car is an important predictor of well-being in both countries. The findings underlined a variety of associations among the mobility resources and the subjective perception of well-being. Our work supports the importance of being aware of the main variables influencing the positive dimension of well-being for creating a better understanding the needs and goals of older people. Moreover, the present study shows that individual-environment interaction should be considered in evaluating personal well-being, especially in older people.

Assessment of gene-nutrient interactions on inflammatory status of the elderly with the use of a zinc diet score - ZINCAGE study.

Although zinc plays an important role in health status of the elderly, their dietary habits in relation to zinc intake are not well documented. The main objective of the current study was the assessment of dietary zinc intake in European old populations and the investigation of its impact on plasma zinc and inflammatory cytokines concentrations, in relation to genetic markers. Within the ZINCAGE study, 819 healthy old Europeans (>or=60 years old) were recruited. Plasma zinc, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) were measured. Genotype data were obtained for the -174G/C polymorphism in the IL-6 gene. Dietary data were collected with a food frequency questionnaire and were used to calculate a zinc diet score. Zinc score was validated using additional dietary data (24-h recalls), in a subsample of 105 subjects. Zinc score was different among most of the European centres (P<.001), while an age-dependent decline was documented (P=4.4x10(-12)). Plasma zinc concentrations were significantly correlated with the zinc score (standardized beta=0.144, P=8.8x10(-5)). The minor allele frequency for the -174G/C polymorphism was f(C) 0.31. There was a significant interaction of zinc diet score and GG (-174G/C) genotype on higher plasma IL-6 levels (beta+/-S.E.=0.014+/-0.0, P=.008). The main finding of our study was the detection of gene-nutrient and biochemical-nutrient interactions in a multiethnic cohort based on a common dietary assessment tool.

Zinc, oxidative stress, genetic background and immunosenescence: implications for healthy ageing

The relevance of zinc for proper functioning of the entire immune system is already well documented. However, the identification of individuals who really need zinc supplementation is still debated in view of the fact that excessive zinc may also be toxic. The risk of developing zinc deficiency in people from industrialized countries is relatively low, except for elderly subjects where zinc intake may be suboptimal and inflammation is chronic. Thus, the role of zinc on the immune system and on the health of European elderly people is becoming of paramount importance, considering also that the elderly population is rapidly increasing. In particular, the factors contributing to and the biochemical markers of zinc deficiency in the elderly are still remain to be established. Epidemiological, functional, and genetic studies aimed at formulating a rationale for the promotion of healthy ageing through zinc supplementation was the subject of an International Conference held in Madrid from 11–13 February 2006 (3rd ZincAge Meeting) at the CNIO Institute (local organizer: Maria Blasco, partner of ZincAge)

Acceptance and use of technological solutions by the elderly in the outdoor environment: findings from a European survey

Summary This article examines the use and acceptance of ticket machines, automatic teller machines (ATMs) and telephone cards by the elderly in four European regions. The analyses are based on data from an international project entitled „Keeping the Elderly Mobile”, collected in Mannheim (former West Germany; N=404 home-dwelling respondents), Chemnitz (former East Germany; N=400), Ancona (Italy; N=600), and Jyväskylä (Finland; N=618). The random sample was stratified by age and gender in each country. Two generations of men and women (aged 55–74 and 75+ years, respectively) participated in the study. Results show that respondents generally made little use of the three technologies under investigation: in fact, the majority of respondents does not use them at all. The most frequently used devices were ATMs in Chemnitz and ticket machines and telephone cards in Mannheim. On the basis of logistic regression analysis, age was the most important explanatory factor for the three technologies and for all four regions, i.e., the users were mostly the „young-old.” Education was a more important variable than gender. In all four regions, the majority of the respondents who used the technologies assessed felt that each of them made life easier; nevertheless, ticket machines make life more difficult to almost every third user in Mannheim. Interesting differences and similarities among the towns were also found. The present study exhibits preliminary results regarding elderly and technology which future research should investigate in greater depth.Zusammenfassung Die Autoren dieses Beitrags stellen Befunde über ältere Männer und Frauen als Nutzer von Fahrkartenautomaten, Bankautomaten und Kartentelefonen vor. Basis der Analysen bilden Daten, die im Rahmen des internationalen Kooperationsprojektes „Keeping the Elderly Mobile“ in vier europäischen Städten erhoben wurden. Die Untersuchungen fanden 1995 in Mannheim (Westdeutschland) mit 404, in Chemnitz (Ostdeutschland) mit 400, in Ancona (Italien) mit 600 und in Jyväskylä (Finnland) mit 618 in Privathaushalten lebenden Befragten statt, die aus den jeweiligen Einwohnermeldedregistern zufällig ausgewählt wurden. Die nach Geschlecht und Alter disproportional geschichtete Stichprobe setzte sich zu gleichen Teilen aus Frauen und Männern zusammen und umfasste zwei Altersgruppen (55–74 Jahre und 75 Jahre und älter). Der Gebrauch der Automaten ist in allen untersuchten Städten allgemein gering: Die meisten Befragten benutzen sie nicht. Die gebräuchlichsten Automaten sind Bankautomaten in Chemnitz und Kartentelefone in Mannheim. Logistische Regressionsanalysen ergaben, dass das Alter der Befragten in allen vier Städten und bei allen drei Automaten den wichtigsten Erklärungsfaktor bildet. Das bedeutet, dass die Geräte vor allem von Jüngeren benutzt werden. Bildung erwies sich als weiterer wichtiger Faktor, noch vor Geschlecht. Für jedes der technischen Geräte wurde außer nach der Nutzung auch gefragt, ob es das Alltagsleben erleichtert, schwieriger macht, oder ob kein Unterschied besteht. Die Mehrheit der Nutzer und Nutzerinnen fand, dass die Automaten – wiederum bezogen auf alle drei Geräte und in allen untersuchten Städten – eine Erleichterung darstellen. Fast ein Drittel der Nutzer in Mannheim gab allerdings auch an, dass Fahrkartenautomaten ihr Alltagsleben erschweren. Weitere Unterschiede und Gemeinsamkeiten zwischen den Städten werden im Beitrag vorgestellt. Die Ergebnisse verweisen auf Beziehungen zwischen Alter und Technik, die in vertiefenden Studien weiter untersucht werden sollten.

Nutritional Zinc, Oxidative Stress and Immunosenescence: Biochemical, Genetic, and Lifestyle Implications for Healthy Ageing

Eugenio Mocchegiani*, Fiorella Marcellini & Graham Pawelec Immunology Ctr. (Section Nutrition, Immunity and Ageing) Res. Dept. Italian National Research Centres on Ageing (INRCA), Ancona, Italy; Gerontological and Psychosocial Ctr, Research Department, INRCA, Ancona, Italy; Tubingen Ageing and Tumour Immunology Group, Section for Transplantation Immunology and Immunohaematology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany *Author for correspondence (e-mail: e.mocchegiani@inrca.it; fax: +39-071-206791)

Zinc in Elderly People: Effects of Zinc Supplementation on Psychological Dimensions in Dependence of IL-6 -174 Polymorphism: A Zincage Study

Zinc is relevant for psychological dimensions, which are altered in zinc deficiency, as in aging. Since zinc deficiency and the beneficial effect of zinc supplementation may be related to genotypes of IL-6 -174 polymorphism, the main goal was to examine psychological dimensions in relationship to plasma zinc and genetic background of IL-6 in healthy elderly subjects, recruited in Italy, Greece, and Poland, before and after zinc supplementation. On the basis of IL-6 -174 polymorphism, significant restoration occurs for PSS, especially in Greece and Poland, less for MMSE and GDS, after zinc supplementation, suggesting zinc is important in reducing stress in elderly people.