Cognitive performance and engagement in physical, social and intellectual activities in older adults: The FIBRA study

Abstract

Cognitive decline in aging can negatively impact quality of life in the elderly. However, studies have shown that elderly engaged in advanced activities of daily living (AADLs) can maintain or enhance global cognitive function or specific domains.ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship between engagement in AADLs and domains of cognition in elderly from seven different locations in Brazil.MethodsA cross-sectional study involving 2,549 elderly without cognitive deficits suggestive of dementia was conducted. Data were collected on sociodemographic characteristics, health status, the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) by subdomain (orientation, memory, attention/calculus, language and constructional praxis), and engagement in AADL grouped under physical, social and intellectual activities.ResultsMultivariate linear regression analysis revealed an association, albeit modest, between intellectual AADLs and the domains orientation, attention/calculus, language and constructional praxis (R2=0.005, 0.008, 0.021, and 0.021 respectively). Social AADLs were correlated with memory (R2=0.002) and language (R2=0.004) domains. No association was found between physical AADLs and MMSE domains. Schooling and family income were the sociodemographic variables exhibiting the strongest relationship with cognitive domains.ConclusionThe study found associations between intellectual and social AADLs with higher cognitive performance, suggesting that active aging can provide opportunities to attenuate cognitive decline in aging.

Cognitive impairment, self‐perceived health and quality of life of older prisoners

“…An alternative explanation lies in lack of interpersonal interactions and cognitive stimulation in prison. Some studies have shown an association between increased levels of engagement in social, physical or intellectual activities and higher cognitive ability scores in older people aged 65 years and above (Sposito et al, ), and some studies have shown that loneliness is a crucial marker of cognitive decline (Cacioppo and Hawkley, ). In their daily lives, older prison inmates make few choices, in that they do not plan their activities throughout the day, decide what to eat and they do not have to cope with administrative tasks.…”

Mental disorders, perceived health and quality of life of older prisoners in France

“…An alternative explanation lies in lack of interpersonal interactions and cognitive stimulation in prison. Some studies have shown an association between increased levels of engagement in social, physical or intellectual activities and higher cognitive ability scores in older people aged 65 years and above (Sposito et al, 2015), and some studies have shown that loneliness is a crucial marker of cognitive decline (Cacioppo and Hawkley, 2009). In their daily lives, older prison inmates make few choices, in that they do not plan their activities throughout the day, decide what to eat and they do not have to cope with administrative tasks.…”

Towards an active and happy retirement? Changes in leisure activity and depressive symptoms during the retirement transition

“…In the present paper, we distinguish physical, social, and intellectual activities, which is common in the cognitive aging literature (see e.g. Fratiglioni, Paillard-Borg, & Winblad, 2004;Lam et al, 2015;Sposito, Neri, Yassuda, 2015;Wang, Xu, & Pei, 2012). These separate categories have been found to predict outcomes in different ways (Lam et al, 2015;Wang, Xu, & Pei, 2012) and also highlight potential pathways for benefits: Social activities may provide social support, in particular in times of distress (Iso-Ahola & Park, 1996), and feelings of relatedness and belonging (Kuykendall et al, 2018).…”