Association between sedentary time and cognitive function: A focus on different domains of sedentary behavior

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Public Health

Background:

• Sedentary behavior (SB) and cognitive function associations are unclear.
• Different sedentary domains may impact cognition uniquely.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between various domains of sedentary behavior and cognitive function.
• To determine if specific types of sedentary activities are associated with cognitive performance.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 2237 participants (mean age 61) from the Nijmegen Exercise Study 2018.
• Measured sedentary behavior using the Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire and cognitive function via a computer self-test (COST-A).
• Employed multivariate linear regression to analyze associations between sedentary time tertiles and global cognitive function.

Main Results:

• Increased total sedentary time was positively associated with better cognitive function (P=0.01).
• Work-related sedentary time (P<0.001) and non-occupational computer time (P=0.01) showed significant positive associations with cognitive function.
• Leisure sedentary time, TV, reading, or creative activities were not associated with cognitive function.

Conclusions:

• A positive association exists between total sedentary behavior and cognitive function.
• The relationship between sedentary behavior and cognition is domain-specific, with occupational and computer-related activities being key.
• Future research should differentiate sedentary domains to understand cognitive function impacts.