Short- and Long-Term Exposure to Higher Temperatures is Linked to Cognitive Impairment in Taiwanese Older Adults

Abstract

Background: Evidence on the associations between short-term and long-term air temperature exposure and cognitive function in older adults, particularly those in Asia, is limited. Therefore, we explored the relationships of short-term and long-term air temperature exposure with cognitive function in Taiwanese older adults through a repeated measures survey.Methods: We used data from between 1996 and 2007 from the ongoing Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging (N = 1956), a multiple-wave nationwide survey. Participants’ cognitive function assessment was based on the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire. We calculated the temperature moving average (TMA) for temperature exposure windows between 1993 and 2007 using data from air quality monitoring stations, depending on the administrative zone of each participant’s residence. Generalized linear mixed models were used to examine the effects of short-term and long-term temperature changes on cognitive function.Results: Short-term and long-term temperature exposure was significantly and positively associated with moderate-to-severe cognitive impairment, with the greatest increase in odds ratios (ORs) found for 3-year TMAs (OR = 1.247; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.107, 1.404). The higher the quintiles of temperature exposure were, the higher were the ORs. The strongest association found was in long-term TMA exposure (OR = 3.674; 95% CI: 2.103, 6.417) after covariates were controlled for.Conclusions: The risk of mild cognitive impairment increased with ambient temperature in community-dwelling older adults in Taiwan.