CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, 100101, China.
Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 16 Lincui Road, Beijing, 100101, China.
BMC Public Health. 2024 Oct 28;24(1):2977. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-20483-z.
Episodic memory naturally deteriorates with age, and its deficits are widely recognized as the most significant feature and the most sensitive indicator of cognitive decline. It has been suggested that adopting a healthy lifestyle can play a protective role in preserving episodic memory. This study aimed to systematically examine the relationship between lifestyle factors (social activities, leisure activities, physical activities, internet use, smoking, alcohol drinking, and sleep quality) and episodic memory in middle-aged and older adults.
The current study included 10,392 participants from the Chinese Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey. A linear mixed model was used to explore the associations between lifestyle factors and episodic memory performance and the age- and sex-specific effects of the association.
Low-frequency alcohol drinking, higher engagement in social, leisure, and physical activities, increased internet use, and improved sleep quality were associated with better episodic memory performance in middle-aged and older adults. Stratified analyses demonstrated that internet use significantly correlated with episodic memory performance in middle-aged adults but not in older adults. On the other hand, sleep quality showed a significant association with episodic memory performance in women but not in men.
This study highlights the association between various lifestyle factors and episodic memory performance, with variations observed based on age and sex. Adopting healthy lifestyle factors can have positive effects on episodic memory in middle-aged adults, emphasizing the importance of adhering to healthy lifestyles from middle age onwards to counteract episodic memory decline.
情景记忆会随着年龄自然衰退，其缺陷被广泛认为是认知能力下降的最显著特征和最敏感的指标。有研究表明，采用健康的生活方式可以对保护情景记忆起到一定作用。本研究旨在系统地研究生活方式因素（社交活动、休闲活动、体育活动、上网、吸烟、饮酒和睡眠质量）与中老年人群情景记忆之间的关系。
本研究纳入了来自中国健康与养老追踪调查的 10392 名参与者。采用线性混合模型探讨了生活方式因素与情景记忆表现之间的关系，以及这种关联在年龄和性别方面的特异性效应。
低频饮酒、更多地参与社交、休闲和体育活动、增加上网时间以及改善睡眠质量与中老年人群的情景记忆表现较好相关。分层分析表明，上网与中年人群的情景记忆表现显著相关，但与老年人群无关。另一方面，睡眠质量与女性的情景记忆表现显著相关，但与男性无关。
本研究强调了各种生活方式因素与情景记忆表现之间的关联，并观察到了基于年龄和性别的差异。采用健康的生活方式因素对中年人群的情景记忆有积极影响，强调从中年开始坚持健康的生活方式以对抗情景记忆衰退的重要性。
