SeungAh Lee

Health Status of Older Asian Americans in California

Given the paucity of research on differences between older adults representing the many Asian‐American subcategories, the present study explored physical and mental health status in five subcategories of Asian Americans aged 60 and older: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Filipino. Data were drawn from the 2007 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). Background characteristics and physical and mental health conditions were compared, with results showing differences cross the five subcategories of older Asian Americans. Specific patterns were identified in chronic diseases, disease comorbidity, and disability rates. Vietnamese and Filipinos tended to have poorer physical health than Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans. The poorest self‐rated health and the highest disability rate were found in the older Vietnamese. Filipinos also exhibited the greatest number of chronic diseases, including the highest rates of asthma, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Although Koreans had the fewest self‐reported chronic diseases and the least evidence of disease comorbidity, they also had the highest psychological distress. The lowest psychological distress was found in older Japanese. Findings suggest that generalizing findings from one particular Asian category or from an aggregate Asian category may be problematic and may not reflect an accurate picture of the burden of health in specific Asian categories. Being aware of these differences in background and health characteristics may help providers to better serve older Asian clients.

Gender Differences in the Link Between Excessive Drinking and Domain-Specific Cognitive Functioning Among Older Adults

Objective: This study investigated gender differences in the relationship between excessive drinking and two cognitive domains among older adults. Method: Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, 3,888 females and 2,350 males were analyzed separately. Multivariate regression was used to analyze the association between excessive drinking and fluid intelligence score. Logistic regression was conducted to examine the relationship between excessive drinking and crystallized intelligence. Results: Multivariate analysis showed that compared to non–excessive drinking, excessive drinking did not have a significant impact on fluid intelligence for either women or men, but it had a significantly negative association with a high crystallized intelligence score for women. Discussion: Findings suggest that the relationship between excessive drinking and cognition varies with gender when crystallized intelligence is measured. Clinicians and service providers should consider gender differences when developing strategies for the prevention and treatment of alcohol-related cognitive decline among older adults.

Alcohol consumption and cognitive impairment among Korean older adults: does gender matter?

BACKGROUND This study investigated gender differences in the relationship between alcohol consumption and cognitive impairment among older adults in South Korea. METHODS Using data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing, 2,471 females and 1,657 males were analyzed separately. Cognitive impairment was measured based on the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Exam score. Logistic regression was conducted to examine the relationship between alcohol consumption and cognitive impairment among Korean older adults. RESULTS Multivariate analysis showed that compared to moderate drinkers, past drinkers were more likely to be cognitively impaired for women, while heavy drinkers were more likely to be cognitively impaired for men. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that the relationship between alcohol consumption and cognition varies with gender. Clinicians and service providers should consider gender differences when developing strategies for the prevention and treatment of alcohol-related cognitive decline among older adults.

Associations between healthy lifestyles and health outcomes among older Koreans

Healthy lifestyles have been found to be positively associated with physical and mental health outcomes in later life. Although multiple health behaviors have the potential to enhance health among older adults, little is known about a multiple behavior approach. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between multiple healthy lifestyles and health outcomes among Korean older adults.