Joint associations of smartphone use and gender on multidimensional cognitive health among community-dwelling older adults: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Smartphone use has become an increasingly pervasive part of our daily lives, and as a portable media device, smartphones provide good support for cognitive training during aging. However, little is known about the joint association of smartphone use and gender on the cognitive health of older adults, particularly with regard to multi-domain cognition. Methods A face-to-face survey of 3230 older adults aged 60+ years was conducted in Xiamen, China, in 2016. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score was used to measure both general and multi-domain cognition. Smartphone use was self-reported and the number of the smartphone functions used (NSFU) was classified as 0, 1, and 2+. General and subdomain cognitive functions were modelled on NSFU only, gender only, and NSFU and gender combined by using a series of proportional-odds cumulative logit models. Furthermore, joint associations of gender and NSFU on both general and multi-domain cognition were estimated, and a four-category quantile classification was used to evaluate the total MoCA score. Results Among all 3230 respondents, 2600 remained after exclusion of respondents with very low MoCA scores (below the education-adjusted cut-offs for dementia). Only 29.96% of older adults used smartphones, 473 (60.72%) of which were men. Respondents who had a higher NSFU maintained a better general and sub-domain cognition except for memory and orientation. Although women had lower values compared to men in visuospatial ability (OR (95% CI): 0.46 (0.37–0.57)), they outperformed their male counterparts in memory (OR (95% CI): 1.38 (1.10–1.73)). The results of the joint association showed that women’s inferiority in visuospatial ability diminished when they had a NSFU of 2+. However, a significantly better improvement in memory for male was achieved when they had a NSFU of 1 rather than 2 + . Conclusions A higher NSFU was positively associated with increased general and partial subdomain cognitive functions. However, gender differences were found in visuospatial ability and memory, which could be alleviated by smartphone use.

A Systematic Review of Smartphone and Tablet Use by Older Adults With and Without Cognitive Impairment

“…Being able to cue prospective tasks in a smartphone device, which would then offer auditory, tactile, and visual notifications—as opposed to paper-based calendars that offer only visual cues when or if a person views the calendar—removed the cognitive load associated with prospective memory ( El Haj et al, 2017 , 2021 ). Conversely, studies by Vaportzis, Martin et al (2017) and Yuan et al (2019) found no significant effects or interactions on memory abilities in older adults without cognitive impairment.…”

“…Improvements in assessment of executive functions, mental flexibility, attention, and language were also observed in participants with and without dementia ( Wu et al, 2019 ; Yuan et al, 2019 ). Yuan et al (2019) found that older adults without cognitive impairment who used more smartphone functions reported greater improvements in all cognitive domains than those who used fewer smartphone functions. Despite significant effects in some cognitive domains, Vaportzis, Martin et al (2017) reported no postintervention effects or interactions of tablet use on verbal comprehension or perceptual reasoning in cognitively healthy older adults.…”

“…Qualitative data described that older adults without cognitive impairment reported feeling cognitively “faster” following a training intervention ( Vaportzis, Clausen et al, 2017 ; Vaportzis et al, 2018 ). Pre- and postintervention assessments of different cognitive domains found that processing speed was the domain most frequently found to improve with smartphone and tablet use in older adults both with and without dementia ( Chan et al, 2016 ; Vaportzis, Martin et al, 2017 ; Vaportzis et al, 2018 ; Wu et al, 2019 ; Yuan et al, 2019 ). Improvements in assessment of executive functions, mental flexibility, attention, and language were also observed in participants with and without dementia ( Wu et al, 2019 ; Yuan et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Pre- and postintervention assessments of different cognitive domains found that processing speed was the domain most frequently found to improve with smartphone and tablet use in older adults both with and without dementia ( Chan et al, 2016 ; Vaportzis, Martin et al, 2017 ; Vaportzis et al, 2018 ; Wu et al, 2019 ; Yuan et al, 2019 ). Improvements in assessment of executive functions, mental flexibility, attention, and language were also observed in participants with and without dementia ( Wu et al, 2019 ; Yuan et al, 2019 ). Yuan et al (2019) found that older adults without cognitive impairment who used more smartphone functions reported greater improvements in all cognitive domains than those who used fewer smartphone functions.…”

Mobile Phone Use and Cognitive Impairment among Elderly Chinese: A National Cross-Sectional Survey Study

“…However, the prevalence of mobile phone usage in Chinese elderly people was unknown. A 2016 survey in Xiamen in China showed 30% of adults aged 60+ years used smartphones, and more functions were positively associated with increased general and partial subdomain cognitive functions [ 10 ]. Another small-scale, cross-sectional survey in China showed association between the usage of mobile phone and cognitive function [ 11 ].…”