In the context of population ageing and extended working lives, understanding how employment quality affects older workers’ health is of growing policy relevance. Although previous research has linked working conditions to health, significant gaps remain in panel designs, unobserved heterogeneity, measurement validity, and sample representativeness. Using longitudinal microdata from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), we estimate individual fixed-effects models over a 12-year period, controlling for time-invariant personal characteristics and improving the basis for causal inference. The analyses also control for temporal precedence and explore reverse causality. Results show that job stress has a strong and statistically significant within-person association with depression (OR = 2.22, p < 0.01). These results indicate that, for the same individual, periods of higher job stress are associated with more than twice the odds of developing depression compared to periods of lower stress. Part-time work is associated, on average, with a higher number of chronic conditions (β = 0.16, p < 0.01). When temporal lags are introduced, prior job stress predicts worse mental health (OR = 1.42, p < 0.01). Likewise, part-time employment two waves earlier is associated with a higher number of chronic conditions (β = 0.27, p < 0.05), indicating a meaningful long-term health effect. Limited evidence of reverse associations suggests that the dominant direction runs from employment conditions to health, rather than the opposite direction. These findings highlight the importance of improving job quality as a key component of policies aimed at extending working lives and promoting healthy ageing.

Skinfold prediction equations (SF-PE) are used to estimate percent body fat (%BF), but it is unclear which SF-PE are most accurate among different age/sex groups. The purpose was to assess accuracy of estimating %BF from SF-PE in young, middle-age and older male and female adults and compare %BF from SF-PE to Inbody770 (IB770), a selected bioelectrical-impedance criterion reference. Two hundred two healthy males (n 96) and females (n 106) had %BF assessed from twelve SF-PE for females, thirteen SF-PE for males, and IB770. Repeated-measures 1-way ANOVA (P< 0·01) were employed for three age groups for males and females, and Bland–Altman plots were employed to evaluate the agreement between IB770 and SF-PE. Based on statistical assessment and Bland–Altman plots, similarity, agreement and accuracy observed in %BF between IB770 and SF-PE were determined. Consequently, based the following similar %BF comparisons between IB770 and SF-PE, the SF-PE recommended to use to estimate %BF in young males (YM), middle-age males (MM), older males (OM), young females (YF), middle-age females (MF) and older females (OF) are: (1) YM: IB770 = 16·2 %; Durnin 1974 (DW) = 16·3 %; Williams 1992 (W) = 16·2 %; Lean 1996 (L) = 16·6 %; (2) MM: IB770 = 19·7 %; W = 19·7 %; DW = 22·3 %; (3) OM: IB770 = 24·4 %; DW = 25·3 %; W = 22·4 %; (4) YF: IB770 = 24·9 %; Jackson 1985 (JP3b) = 23·8 %; (5) MF: IB770 = 25·2 %; Jackson 1980 = 25·0 %; JP3b = 26·1 % and (6) OF: IB770 = 36·6 %; Peterson 2003 = 36·2 %. Given that SF-PE underestimated, overestimated or accurately estimated %BF compared with IB770 emphasises the importance of using SF-PE that are appropriate for different age/sex groups and provide as accurate as possible estimates of %BF. Assessing %BF accurately is important given excessive %BF increases cardiometabolic disease risk.

This review summarises findings from studies in companion animals with chronic diseases receiving omega-3 supplementation. Investigated conditions included dermatopathies (dogs n = 7), osteoarthritis (dogs n = 7, cats n = 2), cardiovascular diseases (dogs n = 7), dyslipidaemias (dogs n = 1), gastroenteropathies (dogs n = 2), chronic kidney disease (dogs n = 2, cats n = 3), cognitive impairment (dogs n = 4, cats n = 1), and behavioural disorders (dogs n = 3). When possible, dosages were standardised to mg/kg using available data on food intake and EPA/DHA concentrations. The minimum and maximum ranges of EPA and DHA, along with their ratios, were as follows: for dermatology 0·99–43 mg/kg EPA and 0·66–30 mg/kg DHA (ratio 1·4–3·4); for osteoarthritis 48–100 mg/kg EPA and 20–32 mg/kg DHA (ratio 1·5–3·4); cardiology 27–54·2 mg/kg EPA and 18–40·6 mg/kg DHA (ratio 1·3–1·5); dyslipidaemia 58·8 mg/kg EPA and 45·4 mg/kg DHA (ratio 1·3); cognition (1/5 studies) 225 mg/kg EPA and 90 mg/kg DHA (ratio 2·5); behaviour (1/3) 31 mg/kg EPA and 45 mg/kg DHA (ratio 0·7). Nephrology and oncology studies lacked sufficient data for calculation. Gastrointestinal diseases do not appear to benefit from omega-3 supplementation, likely due to inflammation-related malabsorption, although few adverse effects were reported in dogs. Other enteropathy studies were low-quality (case reports/series). The lowest omega-6/omega-3 ratio with anti-inflammatory effect was 1:3·75, and the highest was 5·5:1. In conclusion, the reviewed EPA and DHA doses appear effective for atopic dermatitis, osteoarthritis, cardiac disease, hyperlipidaemia, and cognitive and behavioural disorders. Further research is needed to clarify efficacy in gastrointestinal and oncological conditions.

Predicting healthcare costs for chronic diseases is challenging for actuaries, as these costs depend not only on traditional risk factors but also on patients’ self-perception and treatment behaviors. To address this complexity and the unobserved heterogeneity in cost data, we propose a dual-structured learning statistical framework that integrates covariate clustering into finite mixture of generalized linear models, effectively handling high-dimensional, sparse, and highly correlated covariates while capturing their effects on specific subgroups. Specifically, this framework is realized by imposing a penalty on the prior similarities among covariates, and we further propose an expectation-maximization-alternating direction method of multipliers (EM-ADMM) algorithm to address the complex optimization problem by combining EM with the ADMM. This paper validates the stability and effectiveness of the framework through simulation and empirical studies. The results show that our framework can leverage shared information among high-dimensional covariates to enhance fitting and prediction accuracy, while covariate clustering can also uncover the covariates’ network relationships, providing valuable insights into diabetic patients’ self-perception data.

This study extends debates on implications of informal welfare for population health and well-being. It examines whether cultural and ideational precepts such as social capital, affect enrolment in National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) among people living with chronic disease(s) in Ghana. It also explores how NHIS enrolment explains the association between social capital and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) using empirical data from five regions in Ghana. Results indicate that bonding social capital was associated with HRQoL. Bridging and linking social capital were positively and negatively associated with enrolment in NHIS, respectively. Enrolment in the NHIS explained the relationships of trust in neighbours, bridging and linking social capital with HRQoL. Thus, while social capital can improve HRQoL of people living with chronic disease(s), it does so by, among others, influencing their participation in formal health protective services. Culturally driven informal welfare resources are critical to making formal programmes meaningful to people.

Adopting a healthy dietary pattern may be an initial step in combating inflammation-related chronic diseases; however, a comprehensive synthesis evaluating current evidence is lacking. This umbrella review aimed to summarise the current evidence on the effects of dietary patterns on circulating C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in adults. We conducted an exhaustive search of the Pubmed, Scopus and Epistemonikos databases, spanning from their inception to November 2023, to identify systematic reviews and meta-analyses across all study designs. Subsequently, we employed a random-effects model to recompute the pooled mean difference. Methodological quality was assessed using the A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR 2) checklist, and evidence certainty was categorised as non-significant, weak, suggestive, highly suggestive or convincing (PROSPERO: CRD42023484917). We included twenty-seven articles with thirty meta-analyses of seven dietary patterns, fifteen of which (50 %) exhibited high methodological quality. The summary effects of randomised controlled trials (RCT) found that the Mediterranean diet was the most effective in reducing circulating CRP levels, followed by Vegetarian/Vegan and Energy-restricted diets, though the evidence was of weak quality. In contrast, Intermittent Fasting, Ketogenic, Nordic and Paleolithic diets did not show an inverse correlation with circulating CRP levels. Some results from combined interventional and observational studies, as well as solely observational studies, also agreed with these findings. These dietary patterns show the potential in reducing CRP levels in adults, yet the lack of high-quality evidence suggests future studies may alter the summary estimates. Therefore, further well-conducted studies are warranted.

Aging is associated with increasing oxidative stress and declining antioxidant defences, making the body susceptible to various chronic conditions. Cruciferous vegetables contain glucoraphanin, which is metabolised into sulforaphane (SFN) in the gut(1). SFN activates a mechanism enhancing antioxidant defences that may contribute to a reduction in risk of age-related chronic diseases. Our hypothesis proposes that consuming cruciferous vegetables releases hepatic extracellular vesicles (EVs), which carry with a cargo of antioxidant proteins, into the systemic circulation(2) that are transported to ‘at risk’ tissues. We seek to characterise the antioxidant protein content of EVs from blood samples of healthy human volunteers from a prospective dietary intervention study trial called (GLOBE). The GLOBE study employs a randomised, single-blind, two-arm crossover design and involves 12 healthy male or female adults aged >55 years, at the time of enrolment, have a BMI in the range of 18.5-30 kg/m2, and have self-reported healthy (are not suffering from current illness like cancer, and gastrointestinal diseases including coeliac, Crohn’s, colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome) and not using any medications like antacids, laxatives and antibiotics which can interfere with normal digestive or metabolic processes. The dietary intervention consists of two commercially available treatments, one of which is a glucoraphanin-rich vegetable soup, while the other vegetable soup lacks glucoraphanin. Our initial focus lies in optimizing and standardizing a method for routinely characterizing EVs derived from healthy volunteers participating in dietary intervention studies. We specifically aim to extract EVs from a minimal plasma volume (2ml) using size exclusion chromatography (SEC). Subsequently, we intend to employ this method to analyse EVs obtained from 161 plasma samples collected from 12 participants during the GLOBE study for different time points like 0, 120, 240, 360, 480 min, 24 and 48 hr. Our goal is to gain insight into the role of EVs as part of the mechanisms by which consuming a moderate quantity of cruciferous vegetables may confer health benefits. Our research carries the potential to establish a standardised approach to the characterisation of EVs from healthy individuals which has several applications in nutrition research.

Research on the link between diet and multimorbidity is scarce, despite significant studies investigating the relationship between diet and individual chronic conditions. This study examines the association of dietary intake of macro- and micronutrients with multimorbidity in Cyprus's adult population. It was conducted as a cross-sectional study, with data collected using a standardised questionnaire between May 2018 and June 2019. The questionnaire included sociodemographic information, anthropometrics, medical history, dietary habits, sleep quality, smoking habits, and physical activity. The participants were selected using a stratified sampling method from adults residing in the five government-controlled municipalities of the Republic of Cyprus. The study included 1137 adults with a mean age of 40⋅8 years, of whom 26 % had multimorbidity. Individuals with multimorbidity consumed higher levels of sodium (P = 0⋅009) and vitamin A (P = 0⋅010) compared to those without multimorbidity. Additionally, higher fibre and sodium intake were also observed in individuals with at least one chronic disease of the circulatory system or endocrine system, compared to those with no chronic diseases in these systems (P < 0⋅05). Logistic regression models revealed that individuals with ≥2 chronic diseases compared to 0 or 1 chronic disease had higher fat intake (OR = 1⋅06, 95 % CI: 1⋅02, 1⋅10), higher iron intake (OR = 1⋅05, 95 % CI: 1⋅01, 1⋅09), lower mono-unsaturated fat intake (OR = 0⋅91, 95 % CI: 0⋅86, 0⋅96), and lower zinc intake (OR = 0⋅98, 95 % CI: 0⋅96, 0⋅99). Future research should replicate these results to further explore the intricate relationships between nutrient intake and multimorbidity. Our study's findings suggest that specific dietary components may contribute to preventing and managing multimorbidity.