Age-related decline of cognitive resources precedes and explains the decline in physical activity

Objective: This study aimed to test whether the level of cognitive resources explain the engagement in physical activity across aging and whether the age-related decline of cognitive resources precede the decline in physical activity. Methods: Data from 105,206 adults aged 50 to 90 years from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) were used in adjusted linear mixed models to examine whether the engagement in moderate physical activity and its evolution across aging was dependent on cognitive resources. Cognitive resources and physical activity were measured 5 times over a 12-year period. Delayed recall, verbal fluency, and the level of education were used as indicators of cognitive resources. The frequency of engagement in moderate physical activity was self-reported. Dynamic structural equation models (SEM) were used to assess the temporal precedence of changes in cognitive resources and physical activity. Results: Results showed that lower cognitive resources were associated with lower levels and steeper decreases in moderate physical activity across aging. Results further revealed a time-ordered effect with a stronger influence of cognitive resources (delayed recall and verbal fluency) on subsequent changes in moderate physical activity than the opposite. Conclusion: These findings suggest that, after age 50, the level of engagement in moderate physical activity and its trajectory depend on the availability of cognitive resources.

研究目的：本研究的目的是验证认知资源水平是否可以解释不同年龄段个体参与体育锻炼的差异，以及认知资源的年龄相关性下降是否先于体育锻炼能力的下降。研究方法：本研究利用欧洲健康、老龄化和退休调查（Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, SHARE）中105,206名50至90岁成年人的数据，通过调整线性混合模型检验参与中等强度体育锻炼及其在衰老过程中的演变是否依赖于认知资源。在12年的研究周期内，认知资源及体育锻炼被测量了5次。延迟回忆、语言流畅性和教育水平被选为认知资源的指标。中等强度体育锻炼的参与频率是通过自我报告获得的。动态结构方程模型（Dynamic Structural Equation Models, SEM）被用于评估认知资源与体育锻炼变化之间的时间先后顺序。研究结果：结果显示，较低的认知资源水平与衰老过程中中等强度体育锻炼水平的降低及其下降幅度较大相关。进一步研究揭示了时间顺序效应，认知资源（延迟回忆和语言流畅性）对随后中等强度体育锻炼变化的影响强于相反的影响。研究结论：这些发现表明，在50岁之后，中等强度体育锻炼的参与程度及其轨迹依赖于认知资源的可用性。