X-Message-Number: 26535
From: David Stodolsky <>
Subject: Two out of three interventions warranted are social
Date: Wed, 6 Jul 2005 22:26:59 +0200

The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical 
Sciences 60:566-573 (2005)
  2005 The Gerontological Society of America
Predictors of Transitions in Vitality: The Italian Longitudinal Study 
on Aging

Nadia Minicuci, Chiara Marzari, Stefania Maggi, Marianna Noale, 
Antonella Senesi and Gaetano Crepaldi
National Research Council, Institute of Neuroscience, Padova Aging 
Section, Italy.

Correspondence: Address correspondence to Nadia Minicuci, CNR-Institute 
of Neuroscience, Section of Padova Aging, c/o Clinica Medica 1, Via 
Giustiniani, 2, 35128 Padova, Italy. E-mail: 

It is widely acknowledged that there is a strong need to identify which 
modifiable risk factors predict healthy aging to use this information 
as the scientific basis for systematic interventions. Data from a 
4-year longitudinal study on aging among 5632 older Italians were used. 
The definition of vitality was based on both cognitive and physical 
status, and the envisaged transitions were: positive or nonpositive 
stable, positive or negative transition, lost, and deceased. Predictors 
associated with different vitality trajectories were investigated by 
multinomial logistic analysis with a six-level outcome. Age and 
educational level were predictors of being "positive stable," whereas 
the other factors behaved differently according to comparison group. 
For example, being overweight is a common predictor except when 
compared to the deceased group, as is depressive symptomatology except 
when compared to the "positive transition" group. Interventions are 
warranted to reduce social inequalities, promote adequate body weight, 
and prevent and treat depressive symptoms.



David S. Stodolsky    SpamTo: 

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