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Resilience And Health Outcomes Of Sexual Minority Middle-Aged And Older Adults, Christi L. Nelson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While research on lesbian, gay, and bisexual (hereafter referred to as sexual minority) middle-aged and older adults has increased over the past decade, there is still a critical need for more research on the health and resilience in this growing subpopulation. Research has provided evidence that sexual minority adults have an increased risk of negative health outcomes when compared to heterosexual adults. Research has also demonstrated possible resilience in sexual minority middle-aged and older adults; however, few studies have measured resilience in middle-aged and older adults. Gaining a better understanding of resilience in sexual minority adults may help identify modifiable …

Home-Based Cognitive Monitoring: The Role Of Personality And Predictors Of Adherence And Satisfaction, Nasreen A. Sadeq

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over the last several decades, a growing awareness of the benefits of regular screening for common health conditions, such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases, has paved the way for preventative screenings to become routine in medical settings. Given that cognitive impairment is frequently reported as the number one worry of older adults, home-based cognitive monitoring may be an innovative solution that allows middle aged and older adults to take an active role in monitoring an important aspect of their health. Although several home-based cognitive monitoring programs have been validated for use in clinical and home-based settings, the Cogstate Brief Battery …

How Did I Get Here? Testing The Translation Of The Morris Water Maze And The Influence Of Hemoglobin A1c On Spatial Navigation Performance, Colleen Pappas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Changes in cognitive status occur with aging and significant attention has been placed on developing interventions to possibly delay cognitive decline and identifying risk factors that exacerbate cognitive deficits. One issue that arises when studying interventions is that they do not always effectively translate from animal models to human subjects. When testing potentially modifiable risk factors related to cognitive impairment, more sensitive metrics could help in identifying targets for intervention at earlier time-points. Therefore, the aims of the current dissertation were twofold. The first study examined the ability to translate between species using a common behavioral paradigm, the Morris water …

Moderation Analysis Of Bowel Function Among Nutrients And Physical Function Or Depression, As Well As Whether Bowel Function Is Related To Cognition In Older Adults, Jessie Alwerdt

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As we age, the risk for gut issues, such as smooth muscle tone, may be an underlying indirect or direct cause or risk factor for many age-related issues, such as frailty. Consequences of decreased motility and depleted epithelial barrier may result in nutrient deficiencies that may increase the risk for malnutrition (Brownie, 2006). Further, there is increasing evidence that there is a gut-brain-axis relationship that may influence cognition and mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety. While there are relationships established, the interconnections of these factors have yet to be fully understood.

This dissertation examined several relationships specific to …

Large Cross-Sectional Study Of Presbycusis Reveals Rapid Progressive Decline In Auditory Temporal Acuity, Erol J. Ozmeral, Ann C. Eddins, Robert Frisina Sr., David A. Eddins

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Publications

The auditory system relies on extraordinarily precise timing cues for the accurate perception of speech, music, and object identification. Epidemiological research has documented the age-related progressive decline in hearing sensitivity that is known to be a major health concern for the elderly. Although smaller investigations indicate that auditory temporal processing also declines with age, such measures have not been included in larger studies. Temporal gap detection thresholds (TGDTs; an index of auditory temporal resolution) measured in 1071 listeners (aged 18–98 years) were shown to decline at a minimum rate of 1.05 ms (15%) per decade. Age was a significant predictor …

Lipoproteins And Health Outcomes: Cognitive And Physical Function In Older Adults, Marianne Chanti-Ketterl

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular health is a major determinant of quality of life and mortality, especially in older adulthood. With the world’s oldest population increasing at expedited rates, challenges from cardiovascular conditions and its implications are spawning. Although it is well known that dyslipidemia may lead to cardiac events, less is known about the effects on cognitive and physical function in older adults. Epidemiological studies show that optimizing current preventive strategies even at older ages may reduce the incidence of cardiovascular comorbidity (e.g. hypertension, stroke) and increase quality of life. Determining the association between lipoproteins and cognitive and functional performance in older adults …

Sugar Consumption And Cognitive Aging In The Swedish Adoption/Twin Study Of Aging, Shyam Seetharaman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Consumption of foods high in sugar content has been linked with the development of metabolic abnormalities such as cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes, major sources of global health concerns. Although the detrimental consequences of high intake of sugar on abnormal metabolic processes are established, it is not known how this association affects (or accelerates) cognitive aging.

The current project was based on data from the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging (SATSA) to test the hypothesis that high refined sugar intake contributes to accelerated trajectories of cognitive decline assessed longitudinally. Trajectories of cognitive change were assessed as a function …

Subjective And Objective Napping And Sleep In Older Adults: Are Evening Naps “Bad” For Nighttime Sleep?, Natalie D. Dautovich, Christina S. Mccrae, Meredeth A. Rowe

Nursing Faculty Publications

Objectives: To compare objective and subjective measurements of napping, and to examine the relationship between evening napping and nocturnal sleep in older adults.

Design: For twelve days, participants wore actigraphs and completed sleep diaries.

Setting: Community

Participants: 100 individuals who napped, 60–89 years (including good and poor sleepers with typical age-related medical comorbidities).

Measurements: Twelve days of sleep diary and actigraphy provided subjective and objective napping and sleep data.

Results: Evening naps (within 2 hours of bedtime) were characteristic of the sample with peak nap time occurring between 20:30–21:00 (average nap time occurred between 14:30–15:00). Two categories of nappers were …