Association between Physical Activity and Cognitive Function among the Elderly in the Health and Social Centers in...

The aim of this study was to determine the link between the physical activity (PA) and cognitive function among the elderly in the health and social centers in Kenitra, Rabat, and Sidi Kacem city (Morocco).

This study was conducted among 172 elderly (56.4% men) aged above 60 years (67.53 ± 7.53) in the health and social centers in Kenitra, Rabat, and Sidi Kacem city (Morocco). Cognitive functions were assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) (Normal: MMSE's score >24 and cognitive impairment (CI): MMSE's score ⩽ 24). The physical activity (PA) was evaluated using the GPAQ (Global Physical Activity Questionnaire), ranking the elderly by high, moderate, and limited level of PA. The binary logistic regression was performed by the cognitive function (dependent variable), and PA level (independent variable).

The elderly people with cognitive impairment (MMSE score <24 tend to practice less walking and cycling activities ( P = .005). However no difference was found between normal and cognitively impaired subjects for all other subtypes of PA (P > .05). The binary logistic regression adjusted for gender, education, profession, pension, depression, and nutritional status reveled that only the moderate level of PA was a protective factor against cognitive impairment compared to limited level (ORa = 0.136, 95% CI: 0.04-0.41) (ORa: Adjusted Odd Ratio; 95% CI: 95% of Confidence Interval).

Our finding demonstrates that moderate PA specially walking or cycling is associated with lower risk of cognitive impairment. This indicates that a regular practice of walking or cycling as PA can play an important role for cognitive impairment prevention. And the necessity for further researches to more understands this association.