Advanced activities of daily living and incidence of cognitive decline in the elderly: the SABE Study.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between advanced activities of daily living (AADL) and incidence of cognitive decline. The sample consisted of non-institutionalized older adults who participated in the second (2006) and third (2010) waves of the Health, Wellbeing, and Aging (SABE) cohort study in São Paulo, Brazil. Cognitive decline was measured using a modified Mini-Mental State Examination. Advanced activities of daily living covered 12 social, productive, physical, and leisure-time activities that involve higher cognitive functions. Other covariates included socio-demographic conditions, overall health, lifestyle, and functional disability. The association between the independent variables and incidence of cognitive decline was assessed by multiple Poisson regression. Incidence of cognitive decline was 7.9%. Mean number of AADL in 2006 was significantly higher among elders who had not developed cognitive decline. Multivariate analysis showed that the number of AADL performed was a significant inverse predictor of cognitive decline.