Pathway linking nutritional status to cognitive function in older adults with chronic diseases: Exploring the mediating role of sleep quality.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the pathway linking nutritional status to cognitive function in older adults with chronic diseases, and whether sleep quality potentially mediates their association.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 248 older adults with chronic diseases who were admitted in a district tertiary hospital, Shenzhen, China from January to December 2022. The participants completed the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics questionnaire, the Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Scale (PSQI). Linear regression and the bootstrap method were employed for data analysis.

RESULTS

We observed that older adults with chronic diseases showed notable cognitive decline, as indicated by a MoCA score (mean = 23.60, SD = 4.68). The direct effect analysis indicated that older adults with compromised nutritional status were more likely to experience cognitive decline (β = 1.006, P < 0.001). The mediation analysis revealed that sleep quality partially mediated the relationship between nutrition and cognitive function, accounting for 17.59 % of the overall effect. Specifically, poor sleep quality may increase the risk of subsequent cognitive decline among older adults with compromised nutritional status.

CONCLUSIONS

This study identified that the impact of nutritional status on cognitive performance was partially mediated by sleep quality in older adults with chronic diseases. Further supporting the importance of high-quality sleep in maintaining brain health during aging. Monitoring and enhancing nutritional status and sleep quality may contribute to mitigating the progression of cognitive decline.