Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted Discrimination and Multimorbidity among older adults(King's College London, 2024-08) ALFAKHRI, KHALED; Sabbah, WaelAim: This study aims to investigate the relationship between racial discrimination and multimorbidity among American older adults, and whether discrimination mediates the relationship between socioeconomic factors and health outcomes. Methods: Participants in this study who were 65 years of age or older were drawn from the 2022 Behavioural Risk Factors Surveillance System (BRFSS) database. This study included 44,029 participants. Multimorbidity was defined as the presence of two or more chronic conditions, including stroke, heart attack, angina, cancer, asthma, arthritis, depression, chronic pulmonary disease, diabetes, and kidney disease. Racial discrimination was measured through self-reported experiences of being treated differently based on race. Socioeconomic factors (income and education level) and behavioural factors (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity) were considered. Negative binomial regression models were used to examine the association between racial discrimination and multimorbidity, adjusting for potential confounders. Results: The analysis revealed a significant association between experience of racial discrimination and multimorbidity (Rate Ratio [RR] = 1.13; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.05- 1.21). Socioeconomic factors such as lower income and education levels were also significantly associated with higher multimorbidity risk, however no evidence of discrimination experience partially mediating the association. Conclusion: Understanding the impact of racial discrimination on multimorbidity highlights the importance of addressing social determinants of health. This study underscores the need for targeted interventions to mitigate health inequalities among older adults, particularly those facing racial discrimination.30 0Item Restricted Assessment of low-intake dehydration in hospitalised older people and the role of Bioelectrical Impedance Spectroscopy(University of Southampton, 2024-06-27) Alsanie, Saleh; Wootton, Stephen; Lim, Stephen; Ibrahim, KindaBackground: Older people are susceptible to low-intake dehydration, which is often not recognised and can result in significant morbidity through falls, constipation, delirium, respiratory and urinary tract disorders, and even death. Identifying low-intake dehydration at hospital admissions is challenging, leading to treatment delays and poor outcomes. Aims: To examine the factors underlying the identification of low-intake dehydration in older people admitted to Medicine for Older People (MOP) wards at University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust and to explore the feasibility of performing a study whereby bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) might be used alongside existing hydration risk screening tools in identifying low-intake dehydration in older people admitted to hospital. Methodology: A narrative review of the role of water in the body and the consequences of dehydration was carried out. This was followed by a sequential explanatory mixed-methods study involving quantitative service evaluation of recognition of dehydration in MOP wards and qualitative staff interviews to determine barriers and facilitators of hydration care and examine the factors influencing the routine assessment and diagnosis of dehydration in MOP wards. This led to a systematic review of the literature on the role of BIA in detecting low-intake dehydration. Finally, a study was conducted to examine the feasibility of conducting measurements of hydration status in hospitalised older patients using the existing hospital screening tool for dehydration and BIA measurements. Results: Most older patients admitted were at moderate to severe risk of developing dehydration. The service evaluation of hydration care provision showed good compliance with completing the initial hydration assessment. However, follow-up of patients at severe risk via 24-hour fluid balance charts needed improvement. Nursing and medical staff were aware of the importance of assessing hydration status but faced challenges in the diagnosis and management of dehydration. The proposed design for a study exploring the concurrent validity of the current screening tools and bedside measurements of BIA, its implementation and conduct was shown to be both feasible and acceptable to patients and staff and generated high-quality impedance measurements at the bedside alongside routine clinical care. Clinical demographics and directly measured impedance values of resistance, reactance, phase angle and impedance ratio were obtained in 25 patients reflected both age and hydration state but did not significantly correlate with risk categorisation of dehydration based on the established screening tools. Conclusion: Identifying older people admitted to hospitals who are at risk of or have low-intake dehydration requires continued vigilance, adherence to screening and assessment, and continued oversight within ordered systems and processes. Continued service improvement and staff training are needed, together with objective measures of hydration status, such as bioelectrical impedance, which may be used to improve clinical decision-making and care. Further studies are required to determine the reliability and validity of BIA in detecting low-intake dehydration compared with pre-existing objective measures such as serum osmolality, as well as its cost-effectiveness and evaluability in clinical practice.34 0Item Restricted Body Weight and Mortality Risk in Community-Dwelling Older Adults(Monash University, 2024-02-21) Alharbi, Tagrid Abdullah; Owen, Alice; Freak Poli, Rosanne; Ryan, Joanne; Gasevic, DanijelaBackground: Overweight and obesity, generally defined by body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m² or large waist circumference (abdominal obesity), is increasingly prevalent among older adults worldwide, however studies of excess weight and the link with mortality risk in older adults have reported mixed findings. Weight change may be a better indicator of mortality risk in older individuals, but large community-based longitudinal studies of older individuals are needed. Aims: To systematically review the association between weight change and all-cause mortality risk in adults aged ≥ 65 years, and to examine the association of weight status, abdominal obesity and weight change with the risk of mortality in community-dwelling older adults aged ≥ 65 years. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to examined the evidence that weight change (loss, gain and fluctuation, measured by weight or BMI) is associated with all-cause mortality. Secondary data analysis was performed using longitudinal data on community-dwelling individuals from the ESPIRIT (France, N=2,017) and ASPREE/ALSOP sub-studies (Australia, N=14,853). The association of self-reported weight loss, objectively measured weight change (loss and gain), weight status, and abdominal obesity with all-cause mortality over a 17-year follow-up period in the ESPIRIT study was explored using Cox proportional-hazard regression. To broaden understanding of the association between BMI in early (at age 18 years) and later (age ≥70 years) adulthood, and their impact on later-life mortality (over a median of 4.7 years in the ASPREE/ALSOP sub-study), Cox proportional-hazard regression was applied. Furthermore, the socio-demographic, lifestyle, and clinical characteristics associated with change in weight status between early (age 18 years) and late (age ≥ 70 years) adulthood were identified. Results: From the systematic review, weight change, particularly weight loss, was found to be associated with a 59% increased risk of mortality compared to stable weight. Longitudinal data analyses found that abdominal obesity was linked to a 49% increased mortality risk compared to non-abdominal obesity, but being overweight was associated with a 20% decreased risk compared to a normal BMI. Self-reported weight loss of >3 kg at baseline was associated with a 52% increase in mortality risk for men only; but both men and women with ≥ 5% objectively measured weight loss had a 24% increased risk of all-cause mortality. Obesity at 18 years, but not in older age, was associated with a 35% increased risk of mortality in later life. Compared to participants with a normal BMI, obesity at both early adulthood and later life was associated with 99% increase in the risk of all-cause mortality. Obesity in early and/or late adulthood was also associated with a higher risk of adverse clinical risk characteristics. Conclusion: Weight change and weight status are important predictors of mortality risk in older adults. These results highlight the importance of healthcare providers monitoring weight in older adults to detect weight loss at it is early stages, enabling more effective interventions aimed at maintaining stable weight and reducing risk of premature mortality.45 0