Cui Yan, Hu Xiaoting, Tian Xi, Sun Yuhui, Zhang Bingyong, Liu Huaqing
School of Public Health, Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu, Anhui, China.
Front Aging Neurosci. 2025 May 8;17:1532279. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2025.1532279. eCollection 2025.
Cognitive impairment is a major public health concern. Nutrition literacy (NL) is the capacity of an individual to make informed decisions about nutrition, which is reflected in their eating behaviors and ultimately affects their overall nutritional wellbeing. The association between NL and cognitive impairment is unclear.
A cross-sectional study was conducted among individuals aged 60 years and above. NL was evaluated via the validated NL-12 scale, and cognitive impairment was identified via a simplified 30-item Chinese Mini-Mental State Examination scale. The association between NL and cognitive impairment was examined via binary logistic regression.
Of the 1,344 study participants, 30.3% had cognitive impairment. Compared with those in the lowest NL quartile, individuals in the highest NL quartile had a lower likelihood of experiencing cognitive impairment [odds ratio (OR) = 0.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.07-0.20]. This relationship extends to the dimensions of knowledge, understanding, obtaining, interactive, and critical skills. Moreover, the negative association of NL in the Q4 group with cognitive impairment, compared with that in the corresponding Q1 group, was significant regardless of age, sex, exercise status, and socioeconomic status. This association, however, was only evident in older adults who exhibited healthy behavior. Additionally, health behavior significantly moderated the association between NL and cognitive impairment, with an interaction value of 0.018.
Higher levels of NL were associated with lower odds of cognitive impairment in older adults, especially those exhibiting healthier behavior. This study underscores the importance of enhancing NL as a means to mitigate cognitive impairment in older adults. Future research should concentrate on examining interventions that synergize NL with healthy lifestyle practices, ensuring their seamless integration into the daily routines of older adults to address the challenges associated with cognitive impairment effectively.
认知障碍是一个重大的公共卫生问题。营养素养（NL）是个人就营养做出明智决策的能力，这反映在他们的饮食行为中，并最终影响他们的整体营养健康。NL与认知障碍之间的关联尚不清楚。
对60岁及以上的个体进行了一项横断面研究。通过经过验证的NL-12量表评估NL，并通过简化的30项中文简易精神状态检查表确定认知障碍。通过二元逻辑回归研究NL与认知障碍之间的关联。
在1344名研究参与者中，30.3%有认知障碍。与NL最低四分位数组的人相比，NL最高四分位数组的人发生认知障碍的可能性较低[比值比（OR）=0.12，95%置信区间（CI）=0.07-0.20]。这种关系延伸到知识、理解、获取、互动和批判性技能等维度。此外，与相应的Q1组相比，Q4组中NL与认知障碍的负相关在年龄、性别、运动状况和社会经济状况方面均显著。然而，这种关联仅在表现出健康行为的老年人中明显。此外，健康行为显著调节了NL与认知障碍之间的关联，交互作用值为0.018。
较高水平的NL与老年人认知障碍几率较低相关，尤其是那些表现出更健康行为的老年人。本研究强调了提高NL作为减轻老年人认知障碍手段的重要性。未来的研究应集中于研究将NL与健康生活方式实践相结合的干预措施，确保它们无缝融入老年人的日常生活中，以有效应对与认知障碍相关的挑战。
