High Physical Fitness Is Associated With Better Cognitive Function in Older Adults With Dementia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background/objectives: Aging decreases cognitive and physical fitness (PF). Though evidence links PF to cognitive function, few studies focus on this association in older adults with dementia. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between cognitive function and PF in institutionalized older adults with cognitive impairment.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study encompassing 75 older adults with suggestive major neurocognitive disorder (76% women, 78.00 ± 8.13 years) residing in nursing homes. Cognition was assessed with Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and the eligible participants (MoCA < 17 points) were categorized as having high or low cognition function according to the 50th percentile of the MoCA score. PF was measured with the Senior Fitness Test, and a global physical fitness score (GPF), computed as the average obtained from the six tests of the Senior Fitness Test, was thereafter classified based on the 25th percentile. Linear regression and binary logistic regression were applied.

Results: GPF was significantly associated with MoCA (B = 0.078; 95% confidence interval [0.016, 0.139]; R2 = .300). GPF > 25th percentile (odds ratio = 7.8; 95% confidence interval [2.1, 30.4]; p = .003) and years of education (odds ratio = 1.5; 95% confidence interval [1.0, 2.1]; p = .016) were associated with a higher likelihood of having high MoCA, independently of age, medication use, and clinical conditions.

Conclusion: A higher GPF was associated with better cognitive function in institutionalized older adults with dementia. Significance/Implications: It is crucial to understand the relationships between cognitive decline and PF in older adults with dementia. Once both are correlated, we might suggest that improving fitness may help slow cognitive decline and vice versa, which must be ascertained through longitudinal and experimental studies.