Leader: Francesca Cecchi (UNIFI); Other collaborator(s): Antonio Gasbarrini (UNICATT); Maria Benedetta Donati (NEUROMED); Licia Iacoviello (NEUROMED); Carlo Pappone (UNISR); Antonio Cherubini (INRCA); Giuseppe Rengo (UNINA)
The task takes into account the conclusions of the other WP6 Tasks on the state of the art of the impact of climate change and pollution on ageing health, the climate and pollution impact on clinical and functional trajectories and outcomes of older people and on cluster of age related conditions and multimorbidity. Older persons present a wide variability of psychosocial features, in complex interactions with frequent comorbidity, polytherapy, frailty and different patterns of disability, thus, the task of driving recommendations for strategies/education programmes for communities and policy makers requires high geriatric expertise on the specific needs of older populations. On the other hand, to promote participation, inclusion and leadership of older persons to the efforts to adapt and mitigate the effects of climate changes, as recommended by the OHCHR, it is mandatory that such recommendations are driven including the perspective and proposals of older persons by means of several strategies (ie surveys, focus groups etc), both in terms of contents and in terms of wording of the recommendations themselves. The actual driving of recommendations will be done considering existing evidence and developing consensus of the different stakeholders on evidence interpretation, wording and priorities of recommendations.
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results: We carried out a systematic review on existing literature about how to communicate climate change and its impacts on the older population to older persons, in collaboration with prof. Bonaccorsi’s (WP6, task 1.7) group. The manuscript by Samuele Pinna, Diego Longo, Patrizio Zanobini, Chiara Lorini, Guglielmo Bonaccorsi, Marco Baccini, Francesca Cecchi. “How to communicate with older adults about climate change: A systematic review.” has been accepted by Frontiers in Public Health (IF 5,2). The second systematic review, registered on PROSPERO, D. Longo, A. Faralli, M.Piazzini, L.Tellini, M. Baccini, F. Cecchi. “How to communicate with policy makers about climate change: a systematic review”; 410 abstract have been evaluated, we are now solving conflicts.
Beyond task WP6, we are also developing synergies with other task leaders within Spoke 3. We are collaborating within WP5 with prof Cherubini’ group (task 5.1) on a systematic review on geriatric outcomes in multimorbid patients, and with prof Ungar (task 5.5), with whom we have submitted to the local ethical committee a protocol to validate an instrumented version of the Short Physical Performance Battery on frail older persons with cardiovascular conditions (ELDEST) and with stroke (iSPPB). Within WP1, task 1.7, we are collaborating with task leader, prof Bonaccorsi’s group on a systematic review on digital health literacy in older persons.
Dissemination: In January 2025 and February 2024, we actively attended thematic workshops held in Bologna and in Milano, respectively, where prof Francesca Cecchi presented in person our ongoing activities. Additionally, we have submitted three abstracts for presentation at the upcoming General Meeting scheduled to take place in Venezia, next May.
Main policy, industrial and scientific implications: This activity will lead to a better definition on how to to communicate climate change and air pollution health impacts to older persons
We are processing the full texts for another systematic review titled "How to Communicate with Policy Makers about Climate Change: A Systematic Review," authored by D. Longo, A. Faralli, S. Pinna, M. Baccini, and F. Cecchi. From our bibliographic database search, we identified 410 records; of these, 159 met the eligibility criteria after the title/abstract screening, and 23 after the full-text screening. We are currently screening the reference lists of the included systematic reviews to cross-reference them. We are also collaborating with Bonaccorsi’s group (WP6, Task 1.7) on a systematic review exploring the relationship between digital health literacy and older adults. We have completed the full-text assessments and are currently evaluating the quality of the studies under consideration. Out of the 6,879 studies retrieved from four databases (after removing duplicates), 4,735 articles were excluded, and 211 studies underwent full-text evaluation for eligibility. A total of 37 records met the inclusion criteria, with full agreement between the two teams from Cecchi’s group and Bonaccorsi’s group. We are now conducting the quality assessment using CCAT.
From May 20-22, 2024, we attended the General Meeting of Age-It held in Venice, where we presented both oral and poster presentations. This event provided a valuable opportunity to establish new collaborations with other groups. For example, we scheduled an online meeting with Professor Roberta Daini from the Department of Psychology at the University of Milano-Bicocca (SPOKE 3-WP6) for June 11, 2024.
The establishment of the new "Florence Ageing Research Center (Age Florence)" was approved by the Academic Senate of the University of Florence to promote interdisciplinary research on ageing and longevity. Prof. Cecchi was one of the seven members of the UNIFI Ordering Committee and, upon Prof. Ungar's proposal, was appointed as the referent for the Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine.
Synergies within Spoke 3:
WP5: In collaboration with Prof. Cherubini’s group (Task 5.1), we are contributing to a systematic review on geriatric outcomes in multimorbid patients. We are currently involved in the quality appraisal process for studies reporting quantitative data.
WP5: In partnership with Prof. Ungar (Task 5.5), we submitted a study to the local ethics committee in December 2023. On June 16, 2024, we received feedback requesting minor changes, which we need to finalize by July 16, 2024, for the definitive approval of a study to validate an instrumented version of the Short Physical Performance Battery in frail older adults with cardiovascular conditions (ELDEST). Additionally, we have outlined the protocol for a study to validate an instrumented version of the Short Physical Performance Battery in individuals with stroke (iSPPB) and submitted this to the local ethics committee in April 2024.We are currently training with the instruments we purchased in December 2023 (Walker View and D-Wall) to conduct evaluations and measure posture and movement for both the ELDEST and iSPPB studies. A training course was organized on December 4, 2023, for researchers and physiotherapists at the UNIFI-IRCCS Fondazione Don Gnocchi ward.
WP1: We are collaborating with Prof. Bonaccorsi’s group (Task 1.7) on a systematic review of digital health literacy in older adults.
We have continued working on the systematic review "How to Communicate with Policy Makers about Climate Change," by cross-referencing, selecting 37 articles, and extracting relevant information into an Excel table. As we progress with the qualitative analysis, we have explored various software tools commonly used for this type of analysis.
Synergies within Spoke 3:
WP5: In collaboration with Prof. Cherubini’s group (Task 5.1), we are working on a systematic review of geriatric outcomes in multimorbid patients, and the quality assessment has been completed.
WP5: Together with Prof. Ungar (Task 5.5), we finalized the revised version of the study protocol as required by the ethics committee and submitted it on July 18, 2024. We are now awaiting final approval for a study validating an instrumented version of the Short Physical Performance Battery in frail older adults with cardiovascular conditions (ELDEST). Meanwhile, the protocol for a similar study validating the Short Physical Performance Battery in stroke patients (iSPPB) is also awaiting approval from the local ethics committee. Both studies will utilize Walker View and D-Wall devices, purchased in December 2023, to obtain instrumental measures.
WP1: In collaboration with Prof. Bonaccorsi’s group (Task 1.7), we are working on a systematic review assessing digital health literacy among older adults. We are in the final stages of drafting the paper for the ongoing study examining the relationship between digital health literacy and older adults.
We are also preparing for dissemination activities, including abstract submissions for the SIMFER conference, which will be held in October 2024. Two abstracts will be submitted.
In collaboration with WP5, Task 5.5 (Prof. Ungar), and the Principal Investigator of the Age-It project (Prof. Vignoli), Prof. Cecchi will organize the first dissemination event scheduled for December 19, 2024, to inaugurate the new Florence Ageing Research Center (Age Florence). The event aims to promote interdisciplinary research on aging and longevity and introduce the center to the entire University of Florence (UNIFI) community.
The manuscript "How to Communicate Climate Change Related Issues to Policymakers: A Systematic Review and Metasummary" was completed and submitted to Frontiers in Climate Change on 2 December, and is currently under review.
Synergies within Spoke 3:
WP5: In collaboration with Prof. Cherubini's group (Task 5.1), a systematic review of geriatric outcomes in multimorbid patients is underway. The original search filter has been re-run to obtain updated results.WP5: Together with Prof. Ungar (Task 5.5), the revised version of the study protocol was finalised as required by the ethics committee and submitted on 18 July 2024. The purchase of an insurance policy to obtain final permission from the local ethical committee is now pending. The primary objective of the study is to validate an instrumented version of the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) in frail older adults with cardiovascular conditions (ELDEST). Concurrently, the protocol for a similar study, which aims to validate the SPPB in stroke patients (iSPPB), is also awaiting insurance approval from the local ethics committee. Both studies will utilise Walker View and D-Wall devices, procured in December 2023, to obtain instrumental measures.
WP1: In collaboration with Prof. Bonaccorsi's group (Task 1.7), a pre-print version of a manuscript titled "Measuring Digital Health Literacy in older people. A scoping review" was published on the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
In collaboration with WP5, Task 5.5 (Prof. Ungar), and the Principal Investigator of the Age-It project (Prof. Vignoli), Prof. Cecchi was responsible for organising the inaugural dissemination event, scheduled for 19 December 2024, to inaugurate the newly established Florence Ageing Research Center (Age Florence). The event, which promoted interdisciplinary research on ageing and longevity and introduced the centre to the entire University of Florence (UNIFI) community, was successfully supported by over 50 contributed posters. Our group's contribution to this event comprised the presentation of three posters, the content of which disseminated the results obtained in the our task context.