title: General lifestyle activities as a predictor of current cognition and cognitive change in older adults: a cross-sectional and longitudinal examination.
abstract: General lifestyle activities were examined as a predictor of current cognition and cognitive change over a 6-year interval in older adults. Participants were drawn from a population-based longitudinal study, and they completed the Adelaide Activities Profile and a battery of tests measuring cognition and sensory functioning. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that, after sensory functioning was controlled for, activity was a significant predictor of current levels of speed, picture naming, incidental recall, and verbal fluency, and of cognitive change in speed, picture naming, and incidental recall. Commonality analyses demonstrated that activity accounted for a notable amount of the total variance in cognition, and that there was prominent overlap in shared variance between activity and age, and between sensory functioning and age. These findings suggest that engaging in general lifestyle activities may help to promote successful cognitive aging.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia. Rachel.newson@flinders.edu.au
authors.forename: Rachel S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Newson
authors.forename: Eva B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Kemps
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology; D003071:Cognition; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013021:South Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors