LEISURE ACTIVITIES AT OLD AGE AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON DEMENTIA DEVELOPMENT (original) (raw)
Related papers
Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, 2006
There is accumulating evidence in the literature that leisure engagement has a beneficial effect on dementia. Most studies have grouped activities according to whether they were predominantly mental, physical or social. Since many activities contain more than one component, we aimed to verify the effect of all three major components on the dementia risk, as well as their combined effect. A mental, social and physical component score was estimated for each activity by the researchers and a sample of elderly persons. The correlation between the ratings of the authors and the means of the elderly subjects' ratings was 0.86. The study population consisted of 776 nondemented subjects, aged 75 years and above, living in Stockholm, Sweden, who were still nondemented after 3 years and were followed for 3 more years to detect incident dementia cases. Multi-adjusted relative risks (RRs) of dementia for subjects with higher mental, physical and social component score sums were 0.71 (95% CI...
The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 2003
This study examined whether participation in leisure activities during early and middle adulthood was associated with reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease. The sample consisted of 107 same-sex twin pairs discordant for dementia and for whom information on leisure activities was self-reported more than 20 years prior to clinical evaluation. A factor analysis of these activities yielded three activity factors: intellectual-cultural, self-improvement, and domestic activity. Matched-pair analyses compared activities within the discordant twin pairs while controlling for level of education. For the total sample, participation in a greater overall number of leisure activities was associated with lower risk of both Alzheimer's disease and dementia in general. Greater participation in intellectual-cultural activities was associated with lower risk of Alzheimer's disease for women, although not for men.
Leisure Activities as a Predictor of Cognitive Decline and Dementia in Old Age
Open Journal of Social Sciences, 2017
Dementia is a growing medical and social problem with a devastating impact on the people affected and their respective families/care-takers. Therefore, having knowledge of the relationship between leisure activities with the dementia framework may be of extreme importance in early preventative diagnosis. In this project, by means of a transversal design, an empirical study was carried out to evaluate the principal effects of leisure in dementia development. The project included the participation of 61 elderly persons, 23 clinically diagnosed with dementia and 38 without a clinical diagnosis of dementia. This research takes into consideration one moment of the evaluation; the information having been gathered using evaluation instruments selected to this effect: Sociodemographic Questionnaire, Mini Mental State Exam, Portuguese Version, and Clinical Dementia Rating, Portuguese Version. From the results, it is highlighted that 1) leisure activities seem to be a protection factor in the development of dementia; and 2) leisure emerges as a predictor variable. The interpretation of the results, as well as their possible implications with regard to prevention and treatment, are discussed in light of the relevant literature.
Leisure Activity in Old Age and Risk of Dementia: A 15-Year Prospective Study
The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 2013
Objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate whether leisure activity is associated with incident dementia in an older sample. Method. We examined a sample of 1,475 elderly (≥ 65 years) who were dementia free at baseline over a follow-up period of up to 15 years. In addition to analyses involving the total time period, separate analyses of three time periods were performed, 1-5, 6-10, and 11-15 years, following baseline measurement of leisure activity. Results. After controlling for a variety of potential confounders, analyses of data for the total time period revealed that higher levels of "Total activity" and "Social activity," but not "Mental activity," were associated with decreased risk of dementia. However, analyses of the separate time periods showed that this association was only significant in the first time period, 1-5 years after baseline. Discussion. The results from this study provide little support for the hypothesis that frequent engagement in leisure activities among elderly serve to protect against dementia diseases across a longer time frame. The finding of a relationship for the first time period, 1-5 years after baseline, could indicate short-term protective effects but could also reflect reverse causality.
Clinical interventions in aging, 2017
Prevention of dementia is a public health priority. Physical activity (PA) can reduce the risk of dementia, but the majority of people remain sedentary. We conducted a multicenter controlled study with older adults (60+ years). We hypothesized that an evidence-based PA intervention - GEhen, Spielen und Tanzen Als Lebenslange Tätigkeiten - kompakt [walking, playing and dancing as lifelong activities-compact] (GESTALT-kompakt) - would lead to significantly larger improvements in PA levels (step counts/Fitbit Zip™), cognitive functions (DemTect) and social activities (Social Activity Log), compared to an active control group. Data were collected at baseline and after 3 and 12 months. The intervention group received a 12-week (1/week) multimodal and multicomponent PA program, which combined PA with cognitive and social activities. The control group received either regular gymnastics or cognitive training (1/week). A mixed linear model was chosen for analysis. A total of 87 older individ...
Effi cacy of leisure experiences in controlling the onset of dementia in older adults
There is compelling evidence supporting the protective effects that different leisure activities have on dementia. The focus of this study was to explore the degree to which leisure experiences that occur during the lifespan prevent or delay the onset of dementia. Greater protective effects against dementia were associated with engagement in a higher number of activities and greater frequency of participation. Leisure activities were divided into three main groupings: mental, social, and physical activities. All activity groups present positive effects separately; however, leisure activities involving these three components at the same time seem to be most benefi cial for preventing or reducing the risk of dementia in later life.
Leisure activities and the risk of dementia in the elderly: Results from the Three-City Study
Neurology, 2009
Background Participation in leisure activities has been associated with a lower risk of dementia. It is unclear whether increased participation in leisure activities lowers the risk of dementia or participation in leisure activities declines during the preclinical phase of dementia. Methods We examined the relation between leisure activities and the risk of dementia in a prospective cohort of 469 subjects older than 75 years of age who resided in the community and did not have dementia at base line. We examined the frequency of participation in leisure activities at enrollment and derived cognitive-activity and physicalactivity scales in which the units of measure were activity-days per week. Cox proportionalhazards analysis was used to evaluate the risk of dementia according to the base-line level of participation in leisure activities, with adjustment for age, sex, educational level, presence or absence of chronic medical illnesses, and base-line cognitive status. Results Over a median follow-up period of 5.1 years, dementia developed in 124 subjects (Alzheimer's disease in 61 subjects, vascular dementia in 30, mixed dementia in 25, and other types of dementia in 8). Among leisure activities, reading, playing board games, playing musical instruments, and dancing were associated with a reduced risk of dementia. A one-point increment in the cognitive-activity score was significantly associated with a reduced risk of dementia (hazard ratio, 0.93 [95 percent confidence interval, 0.90 to 0.97]), but a one-point increment in the physical-activity score was not (hazard ratio, 1.00). The association with the cognitive-activity score persisted after the exclusion of the subjects with possible preclinical dementia at base line. Results were similar for Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. In linear mixed models, increased participation in cognitive activities at base line was associated with reduced rates of decline in memory. Conclusions Participation in leisure activities is associated with a reduced risk of dementia, even after adjustment for base-line cognitive status and after the exclusion of subjects with possible preclinical dementia. Controlled trials are needed to assess the protective effect of cognitive leisure activities on the risk of dementia. The incidence of dementia increases with increasing age. Although the prevention of Source Information
An active and socially integrated lifestyle in late life might protect against dementia
Lancet Neurology, 2004
Studies were identified by searches of MEDLINE, MEDLINE plus, and PubMed with the terms "cognition", "dementia", and "Alzheimer's disease" in combination with "social network", "social relations", "leisure activity", "physical activity"; or "cognitive training", and "physical training". Studies were also identified from relevant articles. Only papers published in English were included; abstracts or congress proceedings were not taken into account.
The effect of occupational physical activity on dementia: Results from the Copenhagen Male Study
Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 2020
Leisure‐time physical activity (LTPA) reduces the risk of dementia, while the effect of occupational physical activity (OPA) on dementia is uncertain. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of OPA on dementia. For comparison, also the association between LTPA and dementia was analyzed. In this longitudinal study, we used self‐reported questionnaire data on OPA and LTPA collected in 1970‐71 from 4721 male employees, who were 40‐59 years old at baseline. Dementia was identified through national registers and participants were followed from they turned 60 years and until 2016. We estimated incidence rate ratios (IRR) and adjusted for age, socioeconomic status, marital status, and psychological stress. In additional analyses, we included health behaviors and blood pressure and mutually adjusted OPA and LTPA. We identified 697 dementia cases during 86 557 person‐years. We found an IRR of 1.48 (95% CI: 1.05‐2.10) among participants with high OPA compared with parti...