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Background. Age-related sarcopenia is associated with physical decline, including poor functional capacity, lack of physical activity, problems with activities of daily living, and disability. However, little is known about the association between mental health problems and cognitive function in older adults with sarcopenia. Therefore, this study explored community-dwelling older adults’ sarcopenia prevalence and related associations with depression, cognitive performance, and physical activity. Methods. This cross-sectional study included 330 community-dwelling older adults (66.85 ± 5.54 years, 76.06% female). Based on the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia guidelines, gait speed, muscle mass, and handgrip were assessed. All participants responded to a set of questionnaires (e.g., Global Physical Activity Questionnaire, cognitive assessment, and depression scale). Logistic regression analysis and multivariate logistic regression were used to determine independent predictors for sarcopenia. Results. Overall, 16.1% of the participants were identified as having sarcopenia. Further, advanced age (i.e., mean age ≥ 70 years; odds ratio: 4.67), high depression scores (odds ratio: 2.09), mild cognitive impairment (odds ratio: 0.22), and low physical activity levels (odds ratio: 1.96) were significant associated risk factors for sarcopenia after adjusting for age, sex, and educational level. Conclusions. Sarcopenia can lead to adverse health outcomes (i.e., depressive symptoms, cognitive decline, and low physical activity) in older adults.

BackgroundBeing overweight is associated not only with physical health problems, but also with risk of mental health problems. Increased physical activity (PA) has been recommended for the prevention of cardiovascular disease; however, little is known about the effect of walking on physical and mental health outcomes.ObjectiveThe purpose of the study was to explore the effectiveness of a pedometer-based PA intervention on physical and mental health states.MethodThirty-five overweight participants with body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg•m–2 were selected and assigned to a 12-week pedometer-based walking program (10,000 steps•d–1). The profile of mood states, BMI, waist circumference (WC), body fat percentage (%BF), and lean body mass (LBM) were measured before and after the 12-week intervention. The number of step counts was recorded 5 days a week in a diary booklet.ResultsThe 30 participants who accumulated 10,000 steps•d–1 had significantly lower anxiety, depression, anger, fatigue, confusion, and total mood distress scores compared with measurements taken prior to the intervention. Further, the participants had higher vigor scores compared to baseline. Regarding physical health, the participants who accrued 10,000 steps a day had significantly lower body weight, WC, BMI, and %BP. After adjustment for gender, height, and daily steps at follow-up, changes in WC were negatively associated with depression, fatigue, confusion, and total mood distress.ConclusionsAn increase in PA by accumulating at least 10,000 steps•d–1 over a 12-week period improves physical and mood states in sedentary, overweight individuals.

Low physical activity and depression may be related to cognitive impairment in the elderly.Objetive:To determine depression and physical activity (PA) among older adults with and without cognitive impairment.Methods:156 older adults, both males and females, aged ≥60 years, were asked to complete the Thai Mini-Mental State Examination (Thai-MMSE), a global cognitive impairment screening tool. Seventy-eight older adults with cognitive impairment and 78 older adults without cognitive impairment were then separately administered two questionnaires (i.e., the Thai Geriatric Depression Scale; TGDS and Global Physical Activity Questionnaire; GPAQ). Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the risk of developing cognitive impairment in the groups of older individuals with and without cognitive impairment.Results:A cross-sectional study of elderly with a mean age of 74.47 ± 8.14 years was conducted. There were significant differences on the depression scale and in PA between older adults with and without cognitive impairment. Further, participants with low PA and high level of depressive symptoms had an increased risk of cognitive impairment (Odds ratio = 4.808 and 3.298, respectively).Conclusion:Significant differences were noted in PA and on depression scales between older adults with and without cognitive impairment. Therefore, increased PA and decreased depressive symptoms (i.e., having psychological support) are suggested to reduce the risks of cognitive impairment in older adults.

Background High blood pressure (BP) and diabetes have been suggested to be non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and they are components in the definition of metabolic syndrome. Further, several studies have reported that the risk of developing NCDs can be reduced by increased physical activity. In addition, a daily target of 10,000 steps has been generally suggested to increase physical activity in sedentary lifestyles. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effect of an accumulation of 10,000 steps daily on BP and blood glucose in overweight participants. Methods Participants were recruited from males and females, aged 35-59 years, with sedentary lifestyles. A longitudinal quasi-experimental study was designed with 35 participants who had body mass indices C25 kg/m 2. These volunteers were assigned to the 12-week pedometerbased walking program (an accumulation of at least 10,000 steps daily). Blood glucose and BP were measured before and after the intervention. Results Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was significantly lower in 30 individuals who accumulated 10,000 steps daily (-13.74 mmHg). In addition, the reduction of blood glucose levels (-14.89 mg/dl) in the intervention participants was statistically significant (p \ 0.001). Conclusion The accumulation of at least 10,000 steps daily resulted in decreased SBP and blood glucose in overweight Thai subjects. It could also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (e.g., hypertension and diabetes).

Cardiovascular responses to mental stress tests have been related to future blood pressure (BP) levels. However, most studies have been completed in North America and Europe; only one study has been conducted in Asia. Therefore, the study explored whether cardiovascular responses to mental stress predict future resting BP in Thailand. Hemodynamic measures were obtained from 101 healthy adults before, during and after mental arithmetic, a speech task, and a cold pressor task. A follow-up assessment of resting BP was undertaken 1 year later. Results showed that Thais responded to standardized mental stress tasks with large and significant cardiovascular reactivity. Regression analyses indicated that, after adjustment for baseline BP and traditional risk factors, heightened systolic blood pressure (SBP) responses to mental arithmetic were associated with increased future SBP (ΔR 2 = .045). These findings suggest that BP reactivity predicts future BP and may play a role in the development of hypertension. In addition, Thais displayed large cardiovascular responses to standardized mental stress tasks, of a similar magnitude to previous studies of North Americans and Europeans.

Background The number of patients who suffer from chronic renal failure (CRF) has widely increased worldwide. Patients with advanced stages of CRF experience a gradual and progressive loss of muscle and fat mass leading to decreased physical activity and mental health problems. The loss of muscle mass in CRF might contribute to the development of sarcopenia. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the prevalence of sarcopenia and to determine the relationship of physical activity and mental state of depression with sarcopenia in hemodialysis patients. Methods A cross-sectional study was designed with a total of 104 male and female with a minimum age of 35 years. Based on the guidelines of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia in 2019, gait speed, muscle mass, and handgrip were used to define sarcopenia. In addition, participants were requested to perform a set of questionnaires to evaluate their physical activity and state of depression. Logistic regression analyses were used to explore the risk factors of sarcopenia. Results Thirty-four (32.69%) of 104 participants had sarcopenia. Compared to the 70 individuals without sarcopenia, they had a low physical activity and a high depression score (ps < .05). Furthermore, low physical activity and high depression scores in combination with sarcopenia were associated with an increased mortality risk. Low physical activity and high depression scores were also independently associated with sarcopenia in hemodialysis patients after controlling for age (odds ratio = 3.23, and 4.92, respectively).

Background Sarcopenia is a condition characterized by loss of muscle mass, muscle strength, or physical performance. It has been reported that cardiac surgery causes systemic inflammatory response, which leads to sarcopenia. In addition, open-heart surgery (OHS) has been associated with length of hospital stay, prolonged mechanical ventilation, and postoperative pulmonary complications. However, very few studies have explored the association of sarcopenia with OHS. Thus, this study explores the prevalence of sarcopenia in OHS patients as well as their relationship. Methods This cohort study included 160 patients; it was designed to assess sarcopenia during preoperative OHS and before patient discharge from the hospital. Sarcopenia was defined according to Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) criteria as low muscle mass plus low muscle strength and/or slow gait speed. Participants were requested to perform exercises to test their handgrip strength, gait speed, and bioelectrical impedance. In addition, their medical history (e.g., duration of hospitalization and mechanical ventilation) was recorded. Results The prevalence of sarcopenia during preoperative OHS was 26.9%, with affected men comprising 11.9% and affected women comprising 15% of the total sample. Participants with sarcopenia had a significantly lower body mass index (BMI) than those without. Further, patients who had longer stays in the hospital and prolonged mechanical ventilation time showed significantly higher rates of developing sarcopenia. During postoperative OHS, the incidence of sarcopenia rose by 20.92%, increasing the total prevalence of sarcopenia to 46.41%. Moreover, advanced age emerged as one of the most significant risk factors of sarcopenia. Participants in the age group >55 years had an increased risk of sarcopenia (odds ratio [OR]: 3.90). It was also found that patients with a low BMI (<23 kg∗m −2 ) and a history of diabetes mellitus (DM) had an increased risk of sarcopenia (ORs: 2.11 and 1.47, respectively). Moreover, longer hospital stays and mechanical ventilation times were important risk factors (ORs: 1.58 and 2.07, respectively). Conclusion The prevalence of sarcopenia was observed to be high during postoperative OHS. Participants with sarcopenia who underwent OHS had a history of DM, longer length of hospital stays, and prolonged mechanical ventilation times, compared with patients without sarcopenia. Clinical trial registration number TCTR20190509003.