title: Relationship of demographic and health factors to cognition in older adults in the ACTIVE study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Examine the relationship of demographics and health conditions, alone and in combination, on objective measures of cognitive function in a large sample of community-dwelling older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Baseline data from 2,782 participants in the Advanced Cognitive Training in Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) study were used to examine relationships of demographics and health conditions with composite scores of memory, reasoning, and speed of processing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Younger age, increased education, and White race were independently associated with better performance in each cognitive domain after adjusting for gender and health conditions. Male gender, diabetes, and suspected clinical depression were associated with poorer cognitive functioning; suspected clinical depression was associated with lower reasoning and diabetes and history of stroke with slower speed of processing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Age, education, and race are consistently associated with cognitive performance in this sample of older community-dwelling adults. Diabetes, stroke, and suspected clinical depression had independent but weaker effects on cognition.
authors.affiliation: Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Rexroth
authors.forename: Sharon L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Tennstedt
authors.forename: Richard N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Lin T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Guey
authors.forename: George W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Rebok
authors.forename: Michael M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Marsiske
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Frederick W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Unverzagt
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000208:ethnology / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003710:Demography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: cognitive aging; cognitive functioning; memory; older adults; reasoning; speed