Yi Qing, Yang Chengwei, Qi Yufei, Feng Xiaowei, Tan Jingyun, Song Xiaolong, Selvanayagam Victor Selvarajah, Cheong Jadeera Phaik Geok
Faculty of Sports and Exercise Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Department of Physical Education and Research, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
BMC Public Health. 2025 Mar 21;25(1):1081. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-22321-2.
The positive correlation between physical activity and cognitive function has been increasingly documented, while the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.
This study aimed to investigate the association among physical activity (PA), functional fitness, and cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults, and to examine whether functional fitness mediates this association. This study utilized a cross-sectional design, encompassing 224 participants aged 65 or above, with 41.07% male and 58.93% female. The data were collected in 2023 using the Mini-Mental State Examination, Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly, and Senior Fitness Test. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to assess associations among the variables, and mediation analysis was performed using the PROCESS macro for SPSS.
The results indicated that PA had a moderate positive correlation with cognitive function (r = 0.437, p < 0.01) and with most functional fitness domains. In addition, significant positive correlations were found among most functional fitness domains and cognitive function. The association between PA and cognitive function was partially mediated by cardiorespiratory endurance (Effect = 0.0519, 95% CI= [0.0205, 0.0889]).
This study demonstrated a positive correlation between PA and cognitive function in older adults, with cardiorespiratory endurance mediating this association. Our study provides valuable preliminary evidence that cardiorespiratory endurance exerts a mediating role between PA and cognitive function. Future longitudinal research is warranted to elucidate the causal relationship and underlying mechanisms between PA and cognitive function.
体力活动与认知功能之间的正相关关系已有越来越多的文献记载，但其潜在机制仍不清楚。
本研究旨在调查社区居住的老年人中体力活动（PA）、功能体能和认知功能之间的关联，并检验功能体能是否介导了这种关联。本研究采用横断面设计，纳入了224名65岁及以上的参与者，其中男性占41.07%，女性占58.93%。2023年使用简易精神状态检查表、老年人体力活动量表和老年人健身测试收集数据。进行Pearson相关分析以评估变量之间的关联，并使用SPSS的PROCESS宏进行中介分析。
结果表明，PA与认知功能呈中度正相关（r = 0.437，p < 0.01），且与大多数功能体能领域呈正相关。此外，大多数功能体能领域与认知功能之间也存在显著的正相关。PA与认知功能之间的关联部分由心肺耐力介导（效应 = 0.0519，95%CI = [0.0205，0.0889]）。
本研究证明了老年人中PA与认知功能之间存在正相关，心肺耐力介导了这种关联。我们的研究提供了有价值的初步证据，表明心肺耐力在PA与认知功能之间发挥中介作用。未来有必要进行纵向研究以阐明PA与认知功能之间的因果关系和潜在机制。
