Department of Family and Consumer Studies, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Department of Political Science, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA.
Gerontologist. 2024 Nov 1;64(11). doi: 10.1093/geront/gnae116.
Although extreme heat events disproportionately affect older adults and the importance of cognition is known, research examining older adult cognition under heat stress is limited. This study examines the relationship between risk/protective factors and heat strain on older adult cognition, employing a social-ecological model.
Retrieved from the 1996-2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, our study used older adults aged 50 and older and their spouses residing in the United States. Individual-fixed effects models estimated changes in cognition as measured by fluid and crystallized intelligence scores in response to extreme heat days. This study further estimated interactions of extreme heat with protective/risk factors for cognition (i.e., education, physical activity, social engagement, and genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease).
Our results demonstrated that extreme heat days were associated with fluid but not crystallized intelligence scores. Educational attainment, mild physical activity, and social contacts with children moderated this relationship. Furthermore, Alzheimer's disease polygenic scores moderated the correlation between extreme heat days and crystallized intelligence scores.
An increasing frequency of extreme heat events and an aging population globally highlight the need for policies and interventions building resiliency in older adults. Actions promoting the protective modifiable behaviors to older adult cognition identified by our study can lead to healthier individuals and communities.
尽管极端高温事件对老年人的影响不成比例，而且认知能力的重要性已为人所知，但研究老年人在热应激下的认知能力的研究有限。本研究采用社会生态学模型，考察了风险/保护因素与老年人认知能力的热应激之间的关系。
本研究从 1996 年至 2016 年的“健康与退休研究”中提取数据，研究对象为年龄在 50 岁及以上的美国老年人及其配偶。个体固定效应模型估计了在极端高温日，流体智力和晶体智力评分衡量的认知变化。本研究进一步估计了极端高温与认知保护/风险因素（即教育、体育活动、社会参与和阿尔茨海默病的遗传风险）之间的交互作用。
我们的研究结果表明，极端高温日与流体智力得分相关，但与晶体智力得分无关。教育程度、轻度体育活动和与儿童的社会接触缓和了这种关系。此外，阿尔茨海默病多基因评分调节了极端高温日与晶体智力得分之间的相关性。
全球范围内极端高温事件的频率增加和人口老龄化突显了制定政策和干预措施以增强老年人适应力的必要性。本研究确定的促进对老年人认知具有保护作用的可改变行为的措施，可以促进个体和社区的健康。
