There is growing interest in virtual reality (VR) training among competitive athletes and casual sports players alike as a tool to supplement real-life play within a highly controlled, intellectually stimulating environment. We examined data from a commercially available, recently released VR software for tennis for changes in and correlates of performance. Two most frequently used tasks were evaluated-Baseline Center and Quick Volley, which include Efficiency (both), Concentration (both), and Reaction Time (Quick Volley only) subtasks. In all, 1,124 (Baseline Center) and 745 (Quick Volley) users met inclusion criteria (completed more than four trials; active sometime between November 2022 and July 2023). We found that most users were male adults and were about evenly split between advanced/pro users and intermediate/beginner users. Two or three trajectories emerged across the subtasks. Performance gains were most pronounced on movement efficiency, especially early on. Adult users generally exhibited more improvement than junior users. Additionally, women and right-handed users improved more on Baseline Center subtasks, and advanced/pro users did better than intermediate/beginner users on Quick Volley subtasks. We discuss that, despite strong performance gains within VR environment, VR training may still reflect in better real-world performance, may increase confidence and accuracy of relevant movement, lower risk of injury, and present a welcome diversion from a potential monotony of performing sport-related tasks in purely real-world settings. Future research should explore the extent to which VR training transfers to real-world performance.
- MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- psychomotorický výkon fyziologie MeSH
- sportovní výkon * fyziologie MeSH
- tenis * MeSH
- virtuální realita * MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
BACKGROUND: Retirement represents a crucial transitional period for many adults with possible consequences for cognitive aging. We examined trajectories of cognitive change before and after retirement in Black and White adults. METHODS: Longitudinal examination of up to 10 years (mean = 7.1 ± 2.2 years) using data from the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study-a national, longitudinal study of Black and White adults ≥45 years of age. Data were from 2226 members of the REGARDS study who retired around the time when an occupational ancillary survey was administered. Cognitive function was an average of z-scores for tests of verbal fluency, memory, and global function. RESULTS: Cognitive functioning was stable before retirement (Estimate = 0.05, p = 0.322), followed by a significant decline after retirement (Estimate = -0.15, p < 0.001). The decline was particularly pronounced in White (Estimate = -0.19, p < 0.001) compared with Black (Estimate = -0.07, p = 0.077) participants, twice as large in men (Estimate = -0.20, p < 0.001) compared with women (Estimate = -0.11, p < 0.001), highest among White men (Estimate = -0.22, p < 0.001) and lowest in Black women (Estimate = -0.04, p = 0.457). Greater post-retirement cognitive decline was also observed among participants who attended college (Estimate = -0.14, p = 0.016). While greater work complexity (Estimate = 0.92, p < 0.05) and higher income (Estimate = 1.03, p < 0.05) were related to better cognitive function at retirement, neither was significantly related to cognitive change after retirement. CONCLUSION: Cognitive functioning may decline at an accelerated rate immediately post-retirement, more so in White adults and men than Black adults and women. Lifelong structural inequalities including occupational segregation and other social determinants of cognitive health may obscure the role of retirement in cognitive aging.
- MeSH
- důchod MeSH
- kognice MeSH
- kognitivní dysfunkce * psychologie MeSH
- kognitivní stárnutí * MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- longitudinální studie MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- stárnutí psychologie MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH
- Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. MeSH
OBJECTIVE: We investigated complexity of work in main occupation in relation to incident cognitive impairment in older Puerto Ricans. METHOD: A population-based sample of 1,673 adults age 60+ for the Puerto Rican Elderly: Health Conditions (PREHCO) study was used. Cognition was measured at baseline and 4 years later using the Mini-Mental Cabán (MMC), with scoring 1.5 SD below the MMC score adjusted for age, education, gender, and reading ability comprising cognitive impairment. Complexity scores were derived from the 1970 U.S. Census, 1977 and 2000 Dictionary of Occupational Titles, and 2001 O*Net. RESULTS: Controlling for baseline age, gender, childhood economic hardship, adult money problems, depressive symptoms, and self-reported health, greater scores for most work complexity measures were associated with significantly lower risk of cognitive impairment (ps < .05), with significant odds ratios ranging between 0.74, reflecting 26% reduction in risk for every extra standard deviation of complexity, and 0.81. Controlling for education reduced these effects slightly but also reduced most associations to nonsignificant. The results were stronger for those with less childhood economic hardship or education (ps < .05). DISCUSSION: Complexity of work may reduce risk of cognitive impairment in Puerto Rican older adults, especially when combined with favorable childhood economic conditions and higher educational attainment.
- MeSH
- duševní procesy * MeSH
- hodnocení rizik MeSH
- kognitivní dysfunkce epidemiologie MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- longitudinální studie MeSH
- práce psychologie MeSH
- senioři nad 80 let MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- senioři nad 80 let MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Portoriko MeSH
OBJECTIVES: We examined the influence of postretirement leisure activity on longitudinal associations between work complexity in main lifetime occupation and trajectories of cognitive change before and after retirement. METHODS: Information on complexity of work with data, people, and things, leisure activity participation in older adulthood, and four cognitive factors (verbal, spatial, memory, and speed) was available from 421 individuals in the longitudinal Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging. Participants were followed for an average of 14.2 years (SD = 7.1 years) and up to 23 years across eight cognitive assessments. Most of the sample (88.6%) completed at least three cognitive assessments. RESULTS: Results of growth curve analyses indicated that higher complexity of work with people significantly attenuated cognitive aging in verbal skills, memory, and speed of processing controlling for age, sex, and education. When leisure activity was added, greater cognitive and physical leisure activity was associated with reduced cognitive aging in verbal skills, speed of processing, and memory (for cognitive activity only). DISCUSSION: Engagement in cognitive or physical leisure activities in older adulthood may compensate for cognitive disadvantage potentially imposed by working in occupations that offer fewer cognitive challenges. These results may provide a platform to encourage leisure activity participation in those retiring from less complex occupations.
- MeSH
- důchod * MeSH
- kognitivní stárnutí fyziologie MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- longitudinální studie MeSH
- práce * MeSH
- senioři nad 80 let MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- stárnutí fyziologie MeSH
- volnočasové aktivity * MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- senioři nad 80 let MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- studie na dvojčatech MeSH
OBJECTIVE: To examine whether occupational complexity of working with data or people, and cognitive or social leisure activity at midlife predicted cognition in advanced old age. METHODS: We used 810 eligible participants from Longitudinal Study of Living Conditions of the Oldest Old, a Swedish nationally representative study of individuals aged 77+ with cognitive assessments (an abridged version of the Mini-Mental State Exam) administered in 1992 and 2002 and linked to information about their midlife occupation and leisure activities collected in 1968 and 1981. A bootstrapping technique was applied to examine the direct and interactive associations of occupational complexity and leisure activity with late-life cognition. RESULTS: Controlling for demographic and health-related factors from childhood, midlife, and late life, we found that greater work complexity, both with people and with data, and greater participation in cognitive or social leisure activities independently related to better late-life cognitive scores. The complexity-cognition link was moderated by leisure activity such that the cognitive benefit related to the complexity of work-especially complexity of working with people-was rendered insignificant when participation in leisure activities-especially social activities-was above average. DISCUSSION: Results are discussed in terms of using work complexity to compensate for lack of leisure activity as well as in terms of promoting leisure engagement to compensate for long-term cognitive disadvantage imposed by working in less challenging occupations.
- MeSH
- kognice fyziologie MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- longitudinální studie MeSH
- senioři nad 80 let MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- stárnutí fyziologie MeSH
- volnočasové aktivity * MeSH
- zaměstnání statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- senioři nad 80 let MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Švédsko MeSH
BACKGROUND: We examined indicators of job strain in relation to level and change in episodic memory in the years leading up to as well as following retirement. METHODS: Our analyses centre on 3779 individuals from the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study (baseline age 57.3 years) who reported gainful employment in an occupation for 10+ years prior to retirement, and who were assessed for episodic memory performance over up to 20 years (median 8 waves over 16 years). We used ratings from the Occupational Information Network (O*Net) to score occupations for job control and job demands, and to measure job strain (job demands/job control). RESULTS: Controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, depressive symptoms, and cardiovascular disease, less job control and greater job strain were not significantly associated with change in episodic memory in the period leading up to retirement, but were associated with significantly poorer episodic memory at retirement and an accelerated rate of decline in episodic memory following retirement. The results did not vary for men and women or by self-employment status. CONCLUSIONS: Job strain expressed mainly as low job control is linked to poorer episodic memory at retirement and more decline after retirement. Job characteristics appear to have implications for cognitive ageing independent of relevant confounds.
- MeSH
- důchod psychologie MeSH
- epizodická paměť * MeSH
- interní-externí kontrola * MeSH
- kognitivní stárnutí psychologie MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- longitudinální studie MeSH
- psychický stres etiologie MeSH
- senioři nad 80 let MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- statistické modely MeSH
- zaměstnanost psychologie MeSH
- zdravotnické přehledy MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- senioři nad 80 let MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Spojené státy americké MeSH
The goal was to provide an overview of main issues relevant to aging in the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic is a former Eastern Bloc nation of about 10.5 million. Older adults are overrepresented relative to those under age 15. Life expectancy currently hovers around 78 years (75 for men/81 for women), a number slightly higher than most of Eastern Europe but lower than most of Western Europe. Cardiovascular diseases account for about 50% of all mortality, which is one of the highest rates in Europe and therefore of particular concern. Lifestyle habits, especially high alcohol consumption, a high rate of smokers, and high-fat diet relative to most other European countries and the United States, combined with relatively low expenditures for health promotion, appear important in the context of high cardiovascular mortality. Long-term care is funded mostly by state and local governments. The country has tried to address issues associated with insufficient capacity and low quality in long-term care, a particularly prominent problem in the Czech Republic compared with other European countries. The recently established International Clinical Research Center brings new possibilities for collaborative research in the Czech Republic, including research specific to aging. Improving long-term care and establishing methodologically sound longitudinal data sets are among the most pressing issues, although sustaining the pension system strained by increasing life expectancy, low retirement age, and extensive government-sponsored benefits has also recently emerged as a critical issue.
- MeSH
- dlouhodobá péče * MeSH
- důchod MeSH
- důchody MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- naděje dožití * MeSH
- podpora zdraví * MeSH
- populační růst MeSH
- primární zdravotní péče MeSH
- rizikové faktory MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- socioekonomické faktory MeSH
- stárnutí * MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
OBJECTIVES: To examine job control, job demands, social support at work, and job strain (ratio of demands to control) in relation to risk of any dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and vascular dementia (VaD). DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: The population-based Study of Dementia in Swedish Twins. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred fifty-seven people with dementia (167 AD, 46 VaD) and 9,849 without. MEASUREMENTS: Dementia diagnoses were based on telephone screening for cognitive impairment followed by in-person clinical examination. An established job exposure matrix was matched to main occupation categories to measure work characteristics. RESULTS: In generalized estimating equations (adjusted for the inclusion of complete twin pairs), lower job control was associated with greater risk of any dementia (odds ratio (OR) = 1.17, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.04-1.31) and VaD specifically (OR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.07-1.81). Lower social support at work was associated with greater risk of dementia (OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.03-1.28), AD (OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.00-1.31), and VaD (OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.02-1.60). Greater job strain was associated with greater risk of VaD only (OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.02-1.60), especially in combination with low social support (OR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.11-1.64). Age, sex, and education were controlled for. Work complexity, manual work, and vascular disease did not explain the results. No differences in work-related stress scores were observed in the 54 twin pairs discordant for dementia, although only two pairs included a twin with VaD. CONCLUSION: Work-related stress, including low job control and low social support at work, may increase the risk of dementia, particularly VaD. Modification to work environment, including attention to social context and provision of meaningful roles for employees, may contribute to efforts to promote cognitive health.
- MeSH
- geriatrické hodnocení metody MeSH
- hodnocení rizik metody MeSH
- incidence MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- nemoci u dvojčat MeSH
- nemoci z povolání komplikace epidemiologie MeSH
- pracovní expozice škodlivé účinky MeSH
- průzkumy a dotazníky MeSH
- psychický stres komplikace epidemiologie MeSH
- registrace MeSH
- rizikové faktory MeSH
- senioři nad 80 let MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- vaskulární demence epidemiologie etiologie MeSH
- věkové faktory MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- senioři nad 80 let MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH
- srovnávací studie MeSH
- studie na dvojčatech MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Švédsko MeSH
Článek předkládá současné výsledky výzkumu o faktorech ovlivňujích riziko nástupu demence. Průměrná délka dožití se prodlužuje, proto je otázka nástupu, resp. oddálení nástupu kognitivních poruch ve vyšším věku stále aktuálnější. Normální kognitivní funkce jsou důležitým předpokladem pro zvládání každodenních aktivit i pro soběstačnost ve vyšším věku. Ačkoliv část rizikových faktorů demence je neovlivnitelná, výzkum naznačuje cesty umožňující snížení individuálního rizika demence.
The purpose of this review is to present factors that are relevant to risk of dementia later in life. With longer life expectancy, the likelihood of experiencing age-related cognitive difficulties has increased. Maintaining normal cognitive functioning is necessary for successful performance of activities of daily living and independence in later life. Although dementia is sometimes unavoidable, there seem to be ways in which people can modify their risk of these outcomes. We present several factors that offer such opportunity.
