Wei Xiyu, Li Chao, Liu Dongyu, Chen Jieyi, Ju Yumeng, Liu Jin, Liu Bangshan, Zhang Yan
Department of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China.
Department of Social Work, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
BMC Public Health. 2025 Feb 2;25(1):420. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-21479-z.
Existing studies have indicated the potential role of non-invasive physical health indicators as an early detector of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in older adults. However, evidence is lacking in determining the appropriate physical health indicators for early screening of cognitive decline in each domain. Therefore, the current study aimed to establish a comprehensive physical health indicators profile in association with cognitive performance.
The present study utilized a three-year longitudinal cohort design, with data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). 4,869 participants aged 60-97 years from CHARLS wave 2015 and 2018 who were cognitively and physically healthy were included in analysis. Physical functions (BMI, grip strength, blood pressure, balance tests, course walking time, repeated chair stands, and pulmonary function) were objectively measured by physical tasks. Cognitive performance domains (general cognition, episodic memory, executive function, verbal fluency, orientation, and language-and-praxis) were measured through standardised interviews and cognitive tasks. Multiple linear regression models were conducted to explore the association between physical health indicators and cognitive performance. Subgroup analysis was conducted to identify sex-specific factors.
Pulmonary function was identified as associated with all domains of cognitive performance in older adults (β ranged between 0.05 and 0.08). Right grip strength was also identified as an important factor associated with all cognitive domains except general cognition (β ranged between 0.04 and 0.12). Subgroup analysis revealed that the association between physical health indicators and cognitive performance is more pronounced in males than in females.
A profile of non-invasive physical health indicators associated with cognitive performance was established, which warrants future incorporation of non-invasive physical health indicators in early risk screening systems for MCI, enabling timely intervention and prevention in older adults. Future studies can delve deeper into the mechanisms underlying this full-dimensional relationship between physical and cognitive domains.
现有研究表明，非侵入性身体健康指标在老年人轻度认知障碍（MCI）早期检测中具有潜在作用。然而，在确定每个领域认知衰退早期筛查的合适身体健康指标方面缺乏证据。因此，本研究旨在建立与认知表现相关的综合身体健康指标概况。
本研究采用三年纵向队列设计，数据来自中国健康与养老追踪调查（CHARLS）。分析纳入了2015年和2018年CHARLS中4869名年龄在60 - 97岁、认知和身体健康的参与者。通过身体任务客观测量身体功能（体重指数、握力、血压、平衡测试、行走时间、重复起坐和肺功能）。通过标准化访谈和认知任务测量认知表现领域（一般认知、情景记忆、执行功能、语言流畅性、定向和语言与实践）。进行多元线性回归模型以探索身体健康指标与认知表现之间的关联。进行亚组分析以确定性别特异性因素。
肺功能被确定与老年人认知表现的所有领域相关（β值在0.05至0.08之间）。右手握力也被确定为除一般认知外与所有认知领域相关的重要因素（β值在0.04至0.12之间）。亚组分析显示，身体健康指标与认知表现之间的关联在男性中比在女性中更明显。
建立了与认知表现相关的非侵入性身体健康指标概况，这值得未来将非侵入性身体健康指标纳入MCI早期风险筛查系统，以便在老年人中及时进行干预和预防。未来的研究可以更深入地探究身体和认知领域这种全方位关系的潜在机制。
