Daily physical activity patterns and cognitive function in older workers

Abstract

Background: The changes in the body caused by normal aging can lead to a decline in cognitive function. Physical activity is recognized to be a factor that reduces the possible negative impacts on cognitive functioning appearing with aging. The aim of the thesis is to conduct a literature review on the association between objectively measured physical activity and cognitive functioning in late adulthood and in addition, to investigate the association between daily physical activity patterns and cognitive function. Methods: The research is based on the study population consisting of participants from the Finnish Retirement and Aging Study (FIREA). Physical activity was measured with triaxial ActiGraph accelerometer, that measure activity as acceleration of the body part the device is attached to. In this thesis previously conducted latent class trajectory analysis was used to characterize participants into six different groups according to their daily activity behavior. Cognitive function was measured with neuropsychological test battery including five tests from Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB®). Each cognitive test represents one or more cognitive subdomains which can be categorized under different cognitive domains. Results: There was statistically significantly better performance in information processing test in “Low throughout the day” group compared to “High during the day and decrease in the evening” group. In sustained attention test “Highest during the day and active in the evening” group had poorer performance compared to group 2 (p=0.014) and “Moderate during the day and decrease in the evening” group (p=0.018). In any other cognitive test, there were no significant difference found between the trajectories. Conclusions: The results suggest that those who are physically active during free time have better performance in cognitive tests than those who are physically active during working hours. Leisure-time physical activity seems to be more beneficial than work-time physical activity among older workers.