Cognitive Benefits of Activity Engagement among 12,093 Adults Aged over 65 Years

Abstract

Objective: The present study includes two aims: (1) to understand patterns of activity engagement among older Chinese adults; (2) to further investigate associations between activity engagement and cognitive abilities in this population. Methods: Latent class analysis was applied to answer the aforementioned research questions across different age ranges while controlling for confounding variables (age, health, socioeconomic status (SES), and living alone). Specifically, five latent classes (non-active, working-active, comprehensive-active, physical-active, and less-active) were identified. Furthermore, associations between the classes of activity engagement and cognition were examined separately in three age groups: less than 80 years (young-old group), 80–99.5 years (old-old group) and more than 100 years (oldest-old group) of age. Results: Compared with Non-active older individuals, the other classes with a higher probability of engagement in various activities generally showed higher cognitive abilities (including general cognition, orientation, calculation, recall, and language), but not all patterns of active engagement in daily life were positively associated with better cognitive status across different age ranges. In particular, differences in the individuals’ cognitive abilities across the four active latent classes were especially obvious in the old-old group as follows: the Comprehensive-active class had higher general cognitive and recall abilities than the other three active classes and higher calculation and language abilities than the Working-active class. In addition, significant sex differences were observed in activity patterns, cognition, and their associations in the young-old and old-old groups. Culture-specific programs should be customized to subgroups of different ages and genders by providing different training or activity modules based on their related dimensions of cognitive decline.

Regression-Based Normative Data for Independent and Cognitively Active Spanish Older Adults: Digit Span, Letters and Numbers, Trail Making Test and Symbol Digit Modalities Test

“…There is evidence suggesting that active older adults’ lifestyles will affect performance on neuropsychological assessment irrespective of years of formal education. Active older people are likely to outperform non-active individuals on cognitive tests [ 50 , 52 ]. Even though normative data are demographically corrected by education, they do not account for the characteristics of active aging, and therefore, they might be less sensitive for identifying cognitive impairment among cognitively active older adults with higher performance levels.…”

Knowledge and behaviour of community residents’ face mask-wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study in Shanghai, China

“…However, the proportion of urban residents understanding how to wear a disposable surgical mask correctly was the lowest, and this is worth pondering. On the one hand, it may be related to the number of respondents aged 80 and above enrolled in our study being the highest in urban areas 34. On the other hand, it suggests that in urban areas, attention should be paid to strengthening the management of information through the internet and other channels to avoid misleading residents with false and erroneous information.…”

“…On the one hand, it may be related to the number of respondents aged 80 and above enrolled in our study being the highest in urban areas. 34 On the other hand, it suggests that in urban areas, attention should be paid to strengthening the management of information through the internet and other channels to avoid misleading residents with false and erroneous information. The central urban area is densely populated and more susceptible to infection.…”

Overall and sex-specific risk factors for subjective cognitive decline: findings from the 2015–2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey

“…Sex differences for AD and dementia have been found for depression, sleep apnea, low education, marital status, and reproductive events unique to each sex (such as pregnancy and menopause for women and androgen-deprivation therapy for men) [ 23 , 35 ]. Additionally, emerging research is indicating the importance of mid-life physical activity in reducing dementia risk [ 8 ], and sex differences in activity patterns and cognition [ 36 , 37 ]. Clearly, despite our finding of no appreciable differences in contributing factors for SCD between men and women, more research is warranted assessing other risk factors that could not be assessed in this analysis.…”