title: Associations between higher-level competence and general intelligence in community-dwelling older adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Higher-level competence is crucial for healthy and socially independent living, and general intelligence may underlie heath status. The aim of this study was to elucidate associations between general intelligence and higher-level competence in elderly individuals without dementia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 207 community-dwelling elderly persons, aged 70-74 years, were enrolled. A personal interview was performed to obtain data on socio-demographic and medical factors; higher-level competence was evaluated using the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology index of competence (TMIG index). Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM) test was used to assess general intelligence. Correlations between the TMIG index, its subscale scores and the RCPM score were evaluated by Spearman's rank correlation coefficients. Ordinal regression models were conducted with the TMIG index and its subscales as the dependent variables, RCPM as the principal independent variable, and age, sex, type of household, employment status, educational background, chronic medical conditions and number of natural teeth as the potential independent variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were significant but weak positive correlations between total score on the TMIG index, scores on the intellectual activity and social role subscales and RCPM score. In ordinal regression models, RCPM and educational background were significantly associated with total score on the TMIG index and the intellectual activity subscale, and only RCPM was associated with the social role subscale score, after adjusting for other potential variables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  General intelligence may be significantly associated with higher-level competence, especially with intellectual activity and social role subscales, in community-dwelling older adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Promotion, National Institute of Public Health, Saitama, Japan. shyomi@niph.go.jp
authors.forename: Shingo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moriya
authors.forename: Kanchu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tei
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miura
authors.forename: Nobuo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Tetsuji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007360:Intelligence; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D016743:Mental Competency; D012044:Regression Analysis; D020377:Self Efficacy; D060685:Sense of Coherence; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014041:Tokyo