Television Viewing and Cognitive Dysfunction of Korean Older Adults

This study examined the association between television (TV) viewing and cognitive dysfunction in elderly Koreans. Among participants of the 2014 National Survey of Older Koreans, 9644 were considered in this study. To better identify the association between two factors, propensity score (PS) matching with exact method was used. Finally, 168 viewers and non-viewers each were selected based on estimated PS on key variables and eliminating double matches. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed when controlling for possible covariates. Viewers were more likely to have cognitive dysfunction than non-viewers, with significant differences in most covariates. After correcting confounding effects of these covariates with PS matching, TV viewing was found to be a significant risk factor of cognitive dysfunction, along with absence of diagnosed hypertension and non-participation in physical leisure activities. TV viewing might be associated with increased risk of cognitive dysfunction in later life. Appropriate education and strategies to minimize TV viewing among older adults should be established to contribute to attenuating cognitive aging. More interventional studies can help older adults, caregivers, and healthcare professionals explore the cognitively beneficial alternatives to TV use considering the impact of socioeconomic factors of selecting TV viewing as a preferred leisure activity.