title: Short-Term Lifestyle Strategies for Sustaining Cognitive Status.
abstract: Cognitive decline impacts older adults, particularly their independence. The goal of this project was to increase understanding of how short-term, everyday lifestyle options, including physical activity, help an older adult sustain cognitive independence. Using a secondary analysis of lifestyle choices, we drew on a dataset of 4,620 community-dwelling elders in the US, assessed at baseline and one year later using 2 valid and reliable tools, the interRAI Community Health Assessment and the interRAI Wellness tool. Decline or no decline on the Cognitive Performance Scale was the dependent variable. We examined sustaining one's status on this measure over a one-year period in relation to key dimensions of wellness through intellectual, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual variables. Engaging in physical activity, formal exercise, and specific recreational activities had a favorable effect on short-term cognitive decline. Involvement with computers, crossword puzzles, handicrafts, and formal education courses also were protective factors. The physical and intellectual domains of wellness are prominent aspects in protection from cognitive decline. Inherent in these two domains are mutable factors suitable for targeted efforts to promote older adult health and well-being.
authors.affiliation: Bouvé College of Health Sciences, School of Nursing, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth P
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6282-7551
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.affiliation: Hebrew SeniorLife, Institute for Aging Research, 1200 Centre Street, Boston, MA 02131, USA.
authors.forename: John N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.affiliation: Hackensack University Medical Center, 30 Prospect Avenue, Hackensack, NJ 07601, USA.
authors.forename: Knight
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Steel
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Maine, 5724 Dunn Hall, Orono, ME 04469, USA.
authors.forename: Kelley A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Strout
authors.affiliation: Institute of Gerontology and Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Ann Arbor VA Healthcare Center, University of Michigan, 300 NIB 933 NW, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
authors.forename: Brant E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Fries
authors.affiliation: Nurse Practitioner Professional Resources, 4361 Route 42, Turnersville, NJ 08012, USA.
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.affiliation: Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft, Hönower Straße, 10318 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Vjenka
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Garms-Homolová
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015444:Exercise; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D057173:Recreation Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology