Can physical activity attenuate the negative association between sitting time and cognitive function among older adults? A mediation analysis

Abstract

The present findings suggest that, whether overall physical activity is high or low, spending large amounts of time sitting is associated with elevated odds of cognitive impairment and that MVPA slightly weakens the relationship between sitting time and cognitive function.

The Mediation Effect of Self–Report Physical Activity Patterns in the Relationship between Educational Level and Cognitive Impairment in Elderly: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Chilean Health National Survey 2016–2017

“…Our finding associating the educational level and cognitive impairment was similar to that of Moreno et al in a previous analysis with the same data [28]. The association of the PA pattern with cognitive impairment has been examined in a similar large-scale data among older Chilean adults [24] as well as several other modifiable and non-modifiable factors linked with cognitive impairment [35]. Of note in our study is the association of cognitive impairment with the early stages of dementia.…”

“…The participant had to respond in minutes and hours per day. This question was categorized according to non-sedentary (<4 h per day) and sedentary (≥4 h per day) [23], which has been previously used in this population [24].…”

“…This instrument was derived from a previously validated version of the MMSE in the Chilean population [26]. This method has been previously used to determine cognitive impairment in the Chilean population, and was used to identify cognitive impairment in the 2016-2017 Chilean national survey [24,26,27]. Briefly, the mMMSE comprises different questions with a maximum total score of 19 points.…”

“…The categories of response were yes or no, according to different domains corresponding to spatial orientation, relation between objects, verbal fluency, and memory (i.e., date and place of birth, word fluency, similarities, and delayed recall of words). Respondents with scores 13 or less were considered cognitively impaired [24,[26][27][28]. The complete instrument and specifications can be found in an open-access link from the website of the Chilean Ministry of Health (http://epi.minsal.cl/encuesta-nacional-de-salud-2015-2016/).…”

Factores asociados al deterioro cognitivo en personas mayores en Chile

“…Considerando el incremento en la expectativa de vida y consecuente incremento del número de personas mayores 6,11 es crucial determinar si factores de riesgo para deterioro cognitivo que han sido identificado en estudios internacionales se asocian a sospecha de deterioro cognitivo en población adulta mayor en Chile. A la fecha existe una limitada cantidad de evidencia 4,9,[12][13][14][15] , lo cual limita la creación de nuevas políticas públicas, intervenciones o programas de prevención orientados a disminuir aquellos factores de riesgo asociados a deterioro cognitivo en Chile. Considerando estos antecedentes, el objetivo de este estudio fue identificar qué factores sociodemográficos, de estilos de vida y salud se asocian a sospecha de deterioro cognitivo en personas mayores en Chile.…”