OU - Academic Colleges, Departments, and Programs

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Browsing OU - Academic Colleges, Departments, and Programs by College/Department "Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences::Department of Health and Exercise Science"

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    Experiences of Aging in Society Project
    (2024-07) Ober Allen, Julie; Moïse, V.; White, C.J.; Sharma, P.; Kiefer, M.; Sikora, N.; Onishi, S.; Mahato, S.; Cunnyngham, K.; Greenwood, J.C.
    The Experiences of Aging in Society project is investigating how societal beliefs about aging and older adults may affect health. This report (#2) presents information about findings on racial and ethnic differences in ageism and health in a multi-ethnic sample of over 200 U.S. adults ages 50 and older. We share information about racial/ethnic variations in everyday ageism (both amount and different forms reported), associations between ageism and health (number of chronic conditions, mental health, fight or flight stress responses), positive experiences of aging, and strategies used for coping for ageism.
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    Experiences of Aging in Society Project, July 2023 Report
    (2023-07) Ober Allen, Julie; Moise, Valerie; Mahato, Sweta; Sikora, Nadine; Kiefer, Mikala; Onishi, Saryu; Greenwood, Josephine; Cunnyngham, Kaelen; White, Christopher
    The Experiences of Aging in Society (EOA) project is investigating how societal beliefs about aging and older adults may affect health. Ageism is believed to increase risk for many health problems commonly thought to be a natural consequence of getting older. Ageism refers to stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination related to old age, aging, and older adults. On the other hand, many older adults also identify benefits associated with aging that may protect their health. Since 2021, our team has been collecting information from a diverse group of adults ages 50+ about their feelings, expectations, and experiences with growing older. Thanks to your help, we have been able to research how positive and negative experiences of aging may affect people’s health, both immediately and in the future. We are also studying similarities and differences across several US racial and ethnic groups. Project results will inform programs, policies, and research that promote the health and wellbeing of older adults.
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    Stretching It: Exploring food security status, food insecurity coping strategies, and mental health among single female caregivers
    (2024-02) Ober Allen, Julie; Taylor, Kristine
    Background: Food insecurity is an ongoing problem in the United States. Certain groups, such as single females heading a household tend to be disproportionately impacted. This study examines food security status among single female caregivers of children and investigates the relationships between food security status, depression, and various food insecurity coping strategies. Methods: Survey data was collected among a convenience sample of single female caregivers (n=94). The survey included measurements assessing food security status, various food insecurity coping strategies, depression, and sociodemographic variables. We examined the relationships between key variables using a series of linear and logistic regressions. Results: Depressive symptoms were high among our sample, with over 70% of participants surpassing the scale’s cutoff for likely depression. There was a significant relationship between higher levels of food insecurity and increased depressive symptomology after controlling for sociodemographic controls (p = .004). We also found that higher levels of food insecurity were associated with use of more community, interpersonal, and intrapersonal coping strategies (p- values < .05). Greater use of community coping, interpersonal coping, and shopping and tradeoffs (intrapersonal) coping strategies were associated with increased depressive symptoms (p-values < .05). Conclusion: The high rates of food insecurity and depression among our sample reiterates the need for further study and intentional interventions among single female caregivers. Examining food insecurity coping strategies may provide deeper insight into understanding food insecurity as well as help to clarify the relationship between food insecurity and depression.