@article {11215, title = {The Importance of Engaging in Physical Activity in Older Adulthood for Transitions between Cognitive Status Categories and Death: A Coordinated Analysis of Fourteen Longitudinal Studies.}, journal = {The Journals of Gerontology: Series A }, volume = {76}, year = {2021}, pages = {1661-1667}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Given increasing incidence of cognitive impairment and dementia, further understanding of modifiable factors contributing to increased healthspan is crucial. Extensive literature provides evidence that physical activity (PA) delays the onset of cognitive impairment; however, it is unclear whether engaging in PA in older adulthood is sufficient to influence progression through cognitive status categories.

METHODS: Applying a coordinated analysis approach, this project independently analyzed fourteen longitudinal studies (NTotal = 52,039; mean baseline age across studies= 69.9-81.73) from North America and Europe using multi-state survival models to estimate the impact of engaging in PA on cognitive status transitions (non-impaired, mildly impaired, severely impaired) and death. Multinomial regression models were fit to estimate life expectancy (LE) based on American PA recommendations. Meta-analyses provided the pooled effect sizes for the role of PA on each transition and estimated LEs.

RESULTS: Controlling for baseline age, sex, education and chronic conditions, analyses revealed that more PA is significantly associated with decreased risk of transitioning from non-impaired to mildly impaired cognitive functioning and death, as well as substantially longer LE. Results also provided evidence for a protective effect of PA after onset of cognitive impairment (e.g., decreased risk of transitioning from mild to severe cognitive impairment; increased likelihood of transitioning backward from severe to mild cognitive impairment), though between-study heterogeneity suggests a less robust association.

CONCLUSIONS: These results yield evidence for the importance of engaging in PA in older adulthood for cognitive health, and a rationale for motivating older adults to engage consistently in PA.

}, keywords = {cognitive aging, Exercise, Longevity, Successful aging}, issn = {1758-535X}, doi = {10.1093/gerona/glaa268}, author = {Yoneda, Tomiko and Nathan A Lewis and Knight, Jamie E and Rush, Jonathan and Vendittelli, Rebecca and Kleineidam, Luca and Hyun, Jinshil and Andrea M Piccinin and Scott M Hofer and Emiel O Hoogendijk and Derby, Carol A and Scherer, Martin and Steffi G Riedel-Heller and Wagner, Michael and van den Hout, Ardo and Wang, Wenyu and David A Bennett and Muniz-Terrera, Graciela} } @article {11023, title = {Is Healthy Neuroticism Associated with Health Behaviors? A Coordinated Integrative Data Analysis}, journal = {Collabra: Psychology}, volume = {6}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Current literature suggests that neuroticism is positively associated with maladaptive life choices, likelihood of disease, and mortality. However, recent research has identified circumstances under which neuroticism is associated with positive outcomes. The current project examined whether {\textquotedblleft}healthy neuroticism{\textquotedblright}, defined as the interaction of neuroticism and conscientiousness, was associated with the following health behaviors: smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity. Using a pre-registered multi-study coordinated integrative data analysis (IDA) approach, we investigated whether {\textquotedblleft}healthy neuroticism{\textquotedblright} predicted the odds of engaging in each of the aforementioned activities. Each study estimated identical models, using the same covariates and data transformations, enabling optimal comparability of results. These results were then meta-analyzed in order to estimate an average (N-weighted) effect and to ascertain the extent of heterogeneity in the effects. Overall, these results suggest that neuroticism alone was not related to health behaviors, while individuals higher in conscientiousness were less likely to be smokers or drinkers, and more likely to engage in physical activity. In terms of the healthy neuroticism interaction of neuroticism and conscientiousness, significant interactions for smoking and physical activity suggest that the association between neuroticism and health behaviors was smaller among those high in conscientiousness. These findings lend credence to the idea that healthy neuroticism may be linked to certain health behaviors and that these effects are generalizable across several heterogeneous samples.}, keywords = {Coordinated IDA, Health behaviors, Healthy Neuroticism}, doi = {http://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.266}, author = {Graham, Eileen and Sara J Weston and Nicholas A. Turiano and Damaris Aschwanden and Booth, Tom and Harrison, Fleur and James, Byran and Nathan A Lewis and Makkar, Steven and Mueller, Swantje and Wisniewski, Kristi and Yoneda, Tomiko and Zhaoyang, Ruixue and Avron Spiro III and Willis, Sherry and K. Warner Schaie and Sliwinski, Martin and Lipton, Richard and Katz, Mindy and Ian J Deary and Elizabeth Zelinski and David A Bennett and Sachdev, P S and Brodaty, H and Troller, Julian and Ames, David and Margaret J Wright and Denis Gerstorf and Allemand, Mathias and Drewelies, Johanna and Wagner, Gert G and Muniz-Terrera, Graciela and Andrea M Piccinin and Scott M Hofer and Daniel K. Mroczek} }