Aiming to ward off ‘spiral of decline’ in aging rural South African population

Older man sitting outside in rural South Africa

Researchers analyzed data collected as part of the HAALSI study to learn more about the self-reported physical activity (PA) levels of a population over 40 years old. Factors such as being male, over the age of 80, in a higher wealth category, obesity, and poorer functional capacity correlated with lower levels of physical activity. The paper is published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. “These findings…

Increases in U.S. diurnal temperature associated with increased mortality, especially in elderly

Harvard RWJF Scholar Colleen Reid, PhD, has co-authored a study published in International Journal of Biometeorology that explores  the association between diurnal temperature range (DTR) and mortality in 95 large U.S. communities. While much research has focused on Asia, Reid’s study examines the U.S., and shows a statistically significant association between DTR and mortality, driven mainly by effects of DTR on cardiovascular and respiratory mortality in the elderly.