11/04/2024
By Lingming Chen

The Department of Public Health, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences invites you to attend a doctoral dissertation defense by Lingming Chen on: Gender and Chinese–White Differences in Healthy Aging Factors From the Healthy Aging and Neighborhood Study.

Candidate Name: Lingming Chen
Degree: Doctoral
Defense Date: Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024
Time: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Location: Coburn Hall, Room 245
Zoom: https://uml.zoom.us/j/98175871942

Committee:
Advisor: Wenjun Li, Ph.D., Professor, Department Public Health, UMass Lowell
Dan Berlowitz, MD, MPH, Professor, Department Public Health, UMass Lowell
Leland Ackerson, ScD, MPH, Associate Professor, Department Public Health, UMass Lowell
Sabrina Noel, Ph.D., RD, Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical & Nutritional Sciences, UMass Lowell

Brief Abstract:

The older adult population in the United States grows rapidly and becomes increasingly diverse with respect to socioeconomic, racial and ethnic backgrounds. Physical activity, social activity, social support, physical and mental health are important components of healthy aging. However, gender and Chinese–non-Hispanic White (White) differences in these factors have not been well studied.

The aims of this dissertation are to: a) examine gender differences in the associations of recreational walking with rates of indoor and outdoor falls; b) assess differences in social activity, social support, and mental health between Chinese and White older adults, and evaluate if social activity and/or social support mediate these differences in mental health; and c) estimate gender differences in social activity, social support and mental health, and evaluate the mediation role of social activity and/or social support in mental health differences.

This dissertation includes both cohort and cross-sectional analyses, using data from the Healthy Aging and Neighborhood Study (HANS), among community-dwelling older adults aged 65 to 95 years in Massachusetts. We found that for women, but not men, a higher frequency of recreational walking was associated with lower rates of subsequent indoor falls. In addition, there were gender and Chinese–White differences in social activity, social support and mental health. Social activity or social support mediated the gender and racial differences in mental health. Results from this dissertation suggest that interventions promoting physical activity, social activity and social support could help improve both physical and mental health outcomes among community-dwelling older adults.