Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Aichi 474-8511, Japan.
Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Aichi 474-8511, Japan.
Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2022 Jul-Aug;101:104706. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2022.104706. Epub 2022 Apr 15.
The number of socially isolated older adults has increased owing to the coronavirus disease pandemic, thus leading to a decrease in cognitive functions among this group. Smartphone use is expected to be a reasonable preventive measure against cognitive decline in this social context. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the influence of social isolation and smartphone use on cognitive functions in community-dwelling older adults.
We divided 4,601 community-dwelling older adults into four groups based on their levels of social isolation and smartphone use. Then, we conducted cognitive functions tests including a word list memory task, trail-making test, and symbol digit substitution task. Social isolation was defined when participants met two or more of the following measures: domestic isolation, less social contact, and social disengagement. We used an analysis of covariance adjusted by background information to measure between-group differences in levels of cognitive functions and social isolation. A linear regression model was used to analyze the association of standardized scores of cognitive function tests with smartphone use.
Smartphone users' scores of the symbol digit substitution task were superior compared with both non-users with social isolation and without. All cognitive functions were associated with smartphone use among non-socially and socially isolated participants. Socially isolated older adults showed an association only between trail making test- part A and smartphone use.
Smartphone use was associated with cognitive functions (memory, attentional function, executive function, and processing speed) even in socially isolated community-dwelling older adults.
由于冠状病毒病大流行，社会孤立的老年人数量增加，导致这一群体的认知功能下降。智能手机的使用有望成为这一社会背景下预防认知能力下降的合理措施。因此，本研究旨在探讨社会隔离和智能手机使用对社区居住的老年人认知功能的影响。
我们根据社会隔离和智能手机使用水平将 4601 名社区居住的老年人分为四组。然后，我们进行了认知功能测试，包括单词列表记忆任务、连线测试和符号数字替代任务。当参与者符合以下两项或两项以上措施时，即被定义为社会隔离：家庭隔离、社交接触减少和社会脱离。我们使用协方差分析调整背景信息来衡量认知功能和社会隔离水平的组间差异。线性回归模型用于分析认知功能测试的标准化分数与智能手机使用之间的关联。
智能手机使用者在符号数字替代任务上的得分优于有社会隔离的非使用者和无社会隔离的非使用者。在非社会隔离和社会隔离的参与者中，所有认知功能都与智能手机使用相关。社会隔离的老年人仅在追踪测试- A 部分和智能手机使用之间存在关联。
即使在社会隔离的社区居住的老年人中，智能手机的使用也与认知功能（记忆、注意力功能、执行功能和处理速度）相关。
