Exploring the Association Between Physical Fitness Components and Cognitive Function in Older Korean Adults: The...

Tailored physical exercise interventions have the potential to promote cognitive health in older adults and offer significant advantages for those more vulnerable to decline. The specific relationship between physical fitness and cognition among the elderly has not been clearly established. The purpose of this investigation was to assess the relationship between physical fitness and cognitive function in older Korean adults.

Eighty-four community-dwelling older adults (mean age: 70.7±5.3 years; 81.0% female) completed a standardized physical fitness battery assessing handgrip strength, sit-and-reach, 30-second sit-to-stand, 2-minute stationary march, 3-m sit-walk-and-return, figure-8-walk, and T-wall response time. Cognitive function was evaluated using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Descriptive statistics, partial correlation analyses, and stepwise multiple linear regression were conducted.

Slower T-wall response time was significantly correlated with lower RBANS total index, immediate memory, and delayed memory scores. In regression models, slower T-wall response time was independently associated with lower RBANS total index (β=-0.234, p=0.026) and delayed memory scores (β=-0.295, p=0.029). The regression model for immediate memory was not statistically significant overall; therefore, no predictive conclusion was drawn for this domain. Higher education showed a significant positive association with cognitive performance.

Coordination, as measured by T-wall response time, emerged as the only physical fitness component consistently associated with cognitive performance in older adults. Coordination-related fitness may be an important correlate of cognitive function in older adults and a promising target for future exercise interventions.