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The relation of education, occupation, and cognitive activity to cognitive status in old age: the role of physical frailty

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 May 2017

Andreas Ihle ,
Élvio R. Gouveia ,
Bruna R. Gouveia ,
Duarte L. Freitas ,
Jefferson Jurema ,
Angenay P. Odim  and
Matthias Kliegel
Andreas Ihle*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
Élvio R. Gouveia
Affiliation:
Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland Department of Physical Education and Sport, University of Madeira, Funchal, Portugal Madeira Interactive Technologies Institute, Funchal, Portugal
Bruna R. Gouveia
Affiliation:
Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland Madeira Interactive Technologies Institute, Funchal, Portugal Saint Joseph of Cluny Higher School of Nursing, Funchal, Portugal
Duarte L. Freitas
Affiliation:
Department of Physical Education and Sport, University of Madeira, Funchal, Portugal Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
Jefferson Jurema
Affiliation:
Coordination of Physical Education and Sport, Amazonas State University, Manaus, Brazil
Angenay P. Odim
Affiliation:
Coordination of Physical Education and Sport, Amazonas State University, Manaus, Brazil
Matthias Kliegel
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Andreas Ihle, CIGEV, University of Geneva, route des Acacias 54, 1227 Carouge, Switzerland. Phone: +41 22 37 98308. Email: Andreas.Ihle@unige.ch.
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Abstract

Background:

It remains unclear so far whether the role of cognitive reserve may differ between physically frail compared to less frail individuals. Therefore, the present study set out to investigate the relation of key markers of cognitive reserve to cognitive status in old age and its interplay with physical frailty in a large sample of older adults.

Methods:

We assessed Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) in 701 older adults. We measured grip strength as indicator of physical frailty and interviewed individuals on their education, past occupation, and cognitive leisure activity.

Results:

Greater grip strength, longer education, higher cognitive level of job, and greater engaging in cognitive leisure activity were significantly related to higher MMSE scores. Moderation analyses showed that the relations of education, cognitive level of job, and cognitive leisure activity to MMSE scores were significantly larger in individuals with lower, compared to those with greater grip strength.

Conclusions:

Cognitive status in old age may more strongly depend on cognitive reserve accumulated during the life course in physically frail (compared to less frail) older adults. These findings may be explained by cross-domain compensation effects in vulnerable individuals.

Keywords

cognitioncognitive reservephysical frailtygrip strengtholder adults
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 29 , Issue 9 , September 2017 , pp. 1469 - 1474
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2017 

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