Individual Ability to Be Mobile in Community Tied to Cognitive Function

WEDNESDAY, May 15, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Community mobility is significantly associated with cognitive function in older adults, according to a study published online May 15 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Emiri Matsuda, from University of Alabama at Birmingham, and colleagues examined the association between life-space mobility and cognitive function. The analysis included longitudinal data from 7,016 community-dwelling Black and White adults (aged 52 years and older) participating in the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke Study (2003 to 2007).

The researchers found that a 5-point higher Life-Space Assessment composite score was associated with a 0.16-point higher 90-second Digit Symbol Substitution Test score when adjusting for potential confounders. In the low atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk group, the association was strongest (0.22), as it was also for White participants (0.18). However, these differences in associations by ASCVD risk and race were not statistically significant. Similar results were seen when analyses were limited to participants aged 65 years and older and 75 years and older.

"Given the complex relationship between mobility, cognition, and ASCVD risk, interventions will likely need to be holistic, incorporating both lifestyle and physiological factors to improve overall health and function among older adults," the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to the biotechnology industry.

Abstract/Full Text