Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Feb;29(1):16-25.
doi: 10.1093/arclin/act089. Epub 2013 Dec 8.

Lifestyle engagement affects cognitive status differences and trajectories on executive functions in older adults

Cindy M de Frias  1 , Roger A Dixon
Affiliations

Lifestyle engagement affects cognitive status differences and trajectories on executive functions in older adults

Cindy M de Frias et al. Arch Clin Neuropsychol. 2014 Feb.

Abstract

The authors first examined the concurrent moderating role of lifestyle engagement on the relation between cognitive status (cognitively elite, cognitively normal [CN], and cognitively impaired [CI]) and executive functioning (EF) in older adults. Second, the authors examined whether baseline participation in lifestyle activities predicted differential 4.5-year stabilities and transitions in cognitive status. Participants (initial N = 501; 53-90 years) were from the Victoria Longitudinal Study. EF was represented by a 1-factor structure. Lifestyle activities were measured in multiple domains of engagement (e.g., cognitive, physical, and social). Two-wave status stability groups included sustained normal aging, transitional early impairment, and chronic impairment. Hierarchical regressions showed that baseline participation in social activities moderated cognitive status differences in EF. CI adults with high (but not low) social engagement performed equivalently to CN adults on EF. Longitudinally, logistic regressions showed that engagement in physical activities was a significant predictor of stability of cognitive status. CI adults who were more engaged in physical activities were more likely to improve in their cognitive status over time than their more sedentary peers. Participation in cognitive activities was a significant predictor of maintenance in a higher cognitive status group. Given that lifestyle engagement plays a detectable role in healthy, normal, and impaired neuropsychological aging, further research in activity-related associations and interventions is recommended.

Keywords: Aging; Cognitive status; Executive functions; Lifestyle activities; Victoria Longitudinal Study.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
CI older adults who are engaged in social activities have better EF than those who are less socially engaged. CE adults performed highest irrespective of the activity level. CN adults performed lower than CE.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Aartsen M. J., Smits C. H. M., Van Tilburg T. G., Knipscheer C. P. M., Deeg D. J. H. Activity in older adults: Cause or consequence of cognitive functioning? A longitudinal study on everyday activities and cognitive performance in older adults. Journal of Gerontology. 2002;2:153–162. doi:10.1093/geronb/57.2.P153. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Agrigoroaei S., Lachman M. E. Cognitive functioning in midlife and old age: Combined effects of psychosocial and behavioral factors. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Science. 2011;66B:130–140. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbr017. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Albert M. S., DeKoskey S. T., Dickson D., Dubois B., Feldman H. H., Fox N. C., et al. The diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's & Dementia. 2011;7:270–279. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bassuk S. S., Glass T. A., Berkman L. F. Social disengagement and incident cognitive decline in community-dwelling elderly persons. Annals of Internal Medicine. 1999;131:165–173. - PubMed
    1. Bielak A. A. How can we ‘lose it’ if we still don't understand how to ‘use it’? Unanswered questions about the influences of activity participation on cognitive performance in older age—A mini-review. Gerontology. 2010;56:507–519. doi:10.1159/000264918. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources