@article {10163, title = {Effects of age discrimination on self-perceptions of aging and cancer risk behaviors.}, journal = {Gerontologist}, volume = {59}, year = {2019}, pages = {S28-S37}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Almost one-third of older adults report experiencing age discrimination. We hypothesized sequential links between older adults{\textquoteright} everyday experiences of age discrimination and future health behaviors related to cancer risk through self-perceptions of aging (SPA).

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Participants were community-dwelling respondents (age: 51-96 years) from the 2008, 2012, and 2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (N = 4,467). Generalized path models estimated the immediate and enduring effects of age discrimination in 2008 on proximal SPA in 2012 and distal health behaviors in 2014.

RESULTS: Age discrimination was associated with lower positive SPA and higher negative SPA in 2012. The effect of age discrimination on physical activity, smoking, and drinking in 2014 was mediated by positive and negative SPA in 2012. Through subsequent SPA, those who experienced age discrimination in 2008 were less likely to engage in regular moderate physical activity, more likely to smoke, and less likely to drink more than 3 times per week in 2014. Analysis of change in positive and negative SPA showed the effect of age discrimination on physical activity to be mediated by change in positive, but not negative, SPA.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The enduring effects of age discrimination were found through a reduction in positive SPA. Elevating positive SPA could be as important as reducing negative SPA for future health behaviors related to cancer risk.

}, keywords = {Ageism, Cancer, Discrimination, Racial/ethnic differences}, issn = {1758-5341}, doi = {10.1093/geront/gny183}, author = {Hooker, Karen and Shannon T. Mejia and Sandi Phibbs and Erwin J Tan and Stevens, Jonathan} } @article {7656, title = {Volunteering, driving status, and mortality in U.S. retirees.}, journal = {J Am Geriatr Soc}, volume = {59}, year = {2011}, note = {Lee, Sei J Steinman, Michael A Tan, Erwin J K23 AG030999/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States KL2RR024130/RR/NCRR NIH HHS/United States P30-AG02133/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States Comparative Study Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov{\textquoteright}t United States Journal of the American Geriatrics Society Nihms289698 J Am Geriatr Soc. 2011 Feb;59(2):274-80. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2010.03265.x.}, month = {2011 Feb}, pages = {274-80}, publisher = {59}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate how accounting for driving status altered the relationship between volunteering and mortality in U.S. retirees.

DESIGN: Observational prospective cohort.

SETTING: Nationally representative sample from the Health and Retirement Study in 2000 and 2002 followed to 2006.

PARTICIPANTS: Retirees aged 65 and older (N=6,408).

MEASUREMENTS: Participants self-reported their volunteering, driving status, age, sex, race or ethnicity, presence of chronic conditions, geriatric syndromes, socioeconomic factors, functional limitations, and psychosocial factors. Death by December 31, 2006, was the outcome.

RESULTS: For drivers, mortality in volunteers (9\%) and nonvolunteers (12\%) was similar; for limited or non-drivers, mortality for volunteers (15\%) was markedly lower than for nonvolunteers (32\%). Adjusted results showed that, for drivers, the volunteering-mortality odds ratio (OR) was 0.90 (95\% confidence interval (CI)=0.66-1.22), whereas for limited or nondrivers, the OR was 0.62 (95\% CI=0.49-0.78) (interaction P=.05). The effect of driving status was greater for rural participants, with greater differences between rural drivers and rural limited or nondrivers (interaction P=.02) and between urban drivers and urban limited or nondrivers (interaction P=.81).

CONCLUSION: The influence of volunteering in decreasing mortality seems to be stronger in rural retirees who are limited or nondrivers. This may be because rural or nondriving retirees are more likely to be socially isolated and thus receive more benefit from the greater social integration from volunteering.

}, keywords = {Activities of Daily Living, Aged, Automobile Driving, Female, Health Status, Humans, Male, Prospective Studies, Retirement, Risk Factors, Social Behavior, Survival Rate, United States, Volunteers}, issn = {1532-5415}, doi = {10.1111/j.1532-5415.2010.03265.x}, author = {Sei J. Lee and Michael A Steinman and Erwin J Tan} }