RT Journal Article
T1 Role for Physical Fitness in the Association between Age and Cognitive Function in Older Adults: A Mediation Analysis of the SABE Colombia Study
A1 Pérez Sousa, Miguel Ángel
A1 Pozo Cruz, Jesús del
A1 Olivares Sánchez-Toledo, Pedro Rufino
A1 Cano Gutierrez, Carlos Alberto
AB Objectives. We investigated the association between physical fitness and cognitive status.Further, we examined whether physical fitness mediates the association between cognitive functioningand aging. Design. Cross-sectional study. Setting. Urban and rural Colombian older adults.Methods. 4416 participants from the SABE study were included in the current analysis. Physicalfitness was assessed with the handgrip test and the usual gait speed test. Cognitive status wasevaluated through the Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination. A parallel mediation path was usedto test the possible mediator role of physical fitness between aging and cognitive functioning. Results.Older adults with lower handgrip strength (HGS) were more likely to have mild-cognitive statusthan older adults with healthy HGS (OR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.15; 2.02). In addition, older adults with aslower gait speed were more likely to have mild cognitive impairment (OR = 2.05, 95% CI = 1.54;2.78). Age had an inverse relationship with cognitive function (  = −0.110, 95% CI = −0.130; −0.100)and it was also inversely associated with HGS (  = −0.003, 95% CI = −0.005; −0.002) and gait speed(  = −0.010, 95% CI = −0.011; −0.009). The indirect effects, which indicate that the effect of ageon cognitive function is transmitted through mediators, showed that both gait speed (  = −0.028,95% CI = −0.036; −0.020) and HGS (  = −0.014, 95% CI = −0.024; −0.005) were independent mediatorsof the detrimental effect of aging on cognitive function. Conclusions. Physical fitness mediatesthe effects of aging on cognitive functioning. Our findings suggest that physical activity can be a keyfactor to prevent cognitive deterioration during aging process.
PB MDPI
SN 1660-4601
YR 2021
FD 2021-01
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10272/19587
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10272/19587
LA eng
NO Pérez Sousa, M. Á., Pozo Cruz, J. del, Olivares, P. R. ... Cano Gutiérrez, C. A. (2021). Role for Physical Fitness in the Association between Age and Cognitive Function in Older Adults: A Mediation Analysis of the SABE Colombia Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(2), 751.DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18020751
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
RD 30 may 2026