Leisure Time Physical Activities’ Association With Cognition and Dementia: A 19 Years’ Life Course Study
Permanent link
https://hdl.handle.net/10037/26699Date
2022-06-15Type
Journal articleTidsskriftartikkel
Peer reviewed
Author
Johnsen, Bente; Strand, Bjørn Heine; Martinaityte, Ieva; Lorem, Geir Fagerjord; Schirmer, HenrikAbstract
Method: Since 2001, 11,512 (55% women) participants over the age of 50 years had taken at least one cognitive test in the Tromsø Study. Of these, 1,123 (58% women) later developed dementia. The cases were extracted from hospital journals and entered into an endpoint registry. Leisure time PA (LTPA) was self-reported. Multilevel mixed-effects linear regression was used to address whether LTPA was associated with cognition, stratified by those later developing dementia, and dementia-free in a separate analysis.
Results: Leisure time PA was associated with scores in cognitive tests that were 55% (z-score 0.14) higher in those who did not develop dementia. For those in a preclinical phase of dementia, there was no association with LTPA on global cognitive scores. However, in a multifactorial test on processing speed and memory, women had a positive association with processing speed and memory.
Conclusion: Leisure time PA had a positive association with global cognition function only for those who did not develop dementia. In women who were developing dementia, LTPA had a positive association with processing speed and memory, while in men, there were no such associations.