Dataset Information

Declines in Sexual Activity and Function Predict Incident Health Problems in Older Adults: Prospective Findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to investigate cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between declines in sexual activity and function and health outcomes in a large population-based sample of older adults. Data were from 2577 men and 3195 women aged???50 years participating in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Past-year changes in sexual desire, frequency of sexual activity, and ability to have an erection (men)/become sexually aroused (women) were assessed at baseline by self-completion questionnaire. Health outcomes (self-rated health, limiting long-standing illness, doctor-diagnosed diseases of the vascular system, and cancer) were self-reported at baseline (2012/2013) and 4-year follow-up (2016/2017). Data were analyzed using logistic regression, adjusted for sociodemographics, health behaviors, and depressive symptoms. Prospectively, men who reported a decline in sexual desire had higher odds of incident limiting long-standing illness (OR?1.41, 95% CI 1.04-1.91) and incident cancer (OR?1.63, 95% CI 1.06-2.50) than those who maintained their sexual desire. Men who reported a decline in the frequency of sexual activities had higher odds of deterioration in self-rated health (OR?1.47, 95% CI 1.04-2.08) and incident limiting long-standing illness (OR?1.69, 95% CI 1.20-2.37). In women, a decline in frequency of sexual activities was associated with deterioration of self-rated health (OR?1.64, 95% CI 1.07-2.51). Erectile dysfunction was longitudinally associated with poorer health outcomes including incident cancer (OR?1.73, 95% CI 1.11-2.70), coronary heart disease (OR?2.29, 95% CI 1.29-4.07), and fair/poor self-rated health (OR?1.66, 95% CI 1.19-2.32). Practitioners should be mindful that a decline in sexual activity, desire, or function in older age may be an important indicator of future adverse health outcomes.

SUBMITTER: Jackson SE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7058559 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Declines in Sexual Activity and Function Predict Incident Health Problems in Older Adults: Prospective Findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

Jackson Sarah E SE Yang Lin L Koyanagi Ai A Stubbs Brendon B Veronese Nicola N Smith Lee L

Archives of sexual behavior 20190820 3

The objective of this study was to investigate cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between declines in sexual activity and function and health outcomes in a large population-based sample of older adults. Data were from 2577 men and 3195 women aged ≥ 50 years participating in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Past-year changes in sexual desire, frequency of sexual activity, and ability to have an erection (men)/become sexually aroused (women) were assessed at baseline by self-co ...[more]

PMID: 31432361

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundPain has been suggested to act as a stressor during aging, potentially accelerating declines in health and functioning. Our objective was to examine the longitudinal association between self-reported pain and the development, or worsening, of frailty among older men and women.MethodsThe study population consisted of 5,316 men and women living in private households in England, mean age 64.5 years, participating in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). Data from Waves 2 and 6 of ELSA were used in this study with 8 years of follow-up. At Wave 2, participants were asked whether they were "often troubled with pain" and for those who reported yes, further information regarding the intensity of their pain (mild, moderate, or severe) was collected. Socioeconomic status (SES) was assessed using information about the current/most recent occupation and also net wealth. A frailty index (FI) was generated, with the presence of frailty defined as an FI >0.35. Among those without frailty at Wave 2, the association between pain at Wave 2 and frailty at Wave 6 was examined using logistic regression. We investigated whether pain predicted change in FI between Waves 2 and 6 using a negative binomial regression model. For both models adjustments were made for age, gender, lifestyle factors, depressive symptoms, and socioeconomic factors.ResultsAt Wave 2, 455 (19.7%) men and 856 (28.7%) women reported they often experienced moderate or severe pain. Of the 5,159 participants who were nonfrail at Wave 2, 328 (6.4%) were frail by Wave 6. The mean FI was 0.11 (standard deviation [SD] = 0.1) at Wave 2 and 0.15 (SD = 0.1) at Wave 6. After adjustment for age, gender, body mass index, lifestyle factors, and depressive symptoms, compared to participants reporting no pain at Wave 2 those reporting moderate (odds ratio [OR] = 3.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.28, 4.16) or severe pain (OR = 3.78, 95% CI = 2.51, 5.71) were significantly more likely to be frail at Wave 6. This association persisted after further adjustment for either occupational class and/or net wealth level. Compared to those without pain, those with mild, moderate, or severe pain were also more likely to develop worsening frailty, as assessed using the FI, and this association persisted after adjustment for SES. There was no evidence that the association between pain and frailty was influenced by gender.ConclusionPain is associated with an increased risk and intensity of frailty in older men and women. Socioeconomic factors contribute to the occurrence of frailty; though in our study do not explain the relationship between pain and frailty.

Project description:There are a number of studies linking social capital to oral health among older adults, although the evidence base mainly relies on cross-sectional study designs. The possibility of reverse causality is seldom discussed, even though oral health problems could potentially lead to lower social participation. Furthermore, few studies clearly distinguish between the effects of different dimensions of social capital on oral health. The objective of the study was to examine the longitudinal associations between individual social capital and oral health among older adults. We analyzed longitudinal data from the 3rd and 5th waves of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). Structural social capital was operationalized using measures of social participation, and volunteering. Number of close ties and perceived emotional support comprised the functional dimension of social capital. Oral health measures were having no natural teeth (edentate vs. dentate), self-rated oral health and oral health-related quality of life. Time-lag and autoregressive models were used to explore the longitudinal associations between social capital and oral health. We imputed all missing data, using multivariate imputation by chained equations. We found evidence of bi-directional longitudinal associations between self-rated oral health, volunteering and functional social capital. Functional social capital was a strong predictor of change in oral health-related quality of life - the adjusted odds ratio of reporting poor oral health-related quality of life was 1.75 (1.33-2.30) for older adults with low vs. high social support. However in the reverse direction, poor oral health-related quality of life was not associated with changes in social capital. This suggests that oral health may not be a determinant of social capital. In conclusion, social capital may be a determinant of subjective oral health among older adults rather than edentulousness, despite many cross-sectional studies on the latter.

Dataset Information

Declines in Sexual Activity and Function Predict Incident Health Problems in Older Adults: Prospective Findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

Publications

Declines in Sexual Activity and Function Predict Incident Health Problems in Older Adults: Prospective Findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets