Association of Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors with Cognitive Functions Restricted; Files & ToC
Vempati, Srividya (Spring 2023)
Published
Abstract
Abstract Association of Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors with Cognitive Functions By Srividya Vempati Background: Due to the lack of effective pharmacological treatment for dementia, an increasing public health focus is on promoting behavioral changes in regard to modifiable risk factors. This study explores the effect of a new health metric, the Healthy Lifestyle Index Score(HeLIS) comprising of six modifiable health behaviors – diet, sleep, stress, alcohol consumption, smoking status, and physical activity on cognitive function. Methods: Baseline data from 69 participants of the VAScular ContribUtors to prodromaL AlzheimeR’s disease(VASCULAR) cohort study was used. Information regarding the six health behaviors was recorded through self-administered and validated questionnaires. Validated cognitive tests were used to measure cognitive function, namely language function, attention, episodic memory, and executive function. Based on public health recommendations, each component was divided into groups and assigned a score of 0,1, or 2, reflecting poor, intermediate, and ideal levels, respectively. HeLIS was obtained by summating individual components, ranging from 0-10, with a higher score implying better adherence to healthy behaviors. Crude and adjusted linear regression analyses were conducted to analyze the association between HeLIS and cognitive function. The association of individual HeLIS components with cognitive function was conducted using linear regression. Results: The mean age of the population was 64 years, comprising African Americans(39%) and Whites(61%). Higher HeLIS showed significantly better executive functioning(β= -10.08, 95% CI: -18.34, -1.82) and language performance (β=0.18, 95%CI: 0.002, 0.35), although no significant association was seen with attention and episodic memory. Non-smokers performed significantly better in executive function test(β=-58.9, 95% CI: -100.33, -17.46), memory (β = 10.49, 95%CI: 2.55, 18.43) and language (β = 1.27, 95%CI: 0.4, 2.14). Low-stress levels showed significantly improved performance in all the domains assessed. Conclusion: Our results suggest that better adherence to healthy lifestyle behaviors improves cognitive functioning, especially executive function, which is an essential domain engaged in activities of daily living(ADL). Our study also adds to the existing body of literature, the impact of low-stress levels on cognitive abilities. Findings from similar studies in the future could inform policies to promote healthy living, to reduce the burden of dementia among the aged population.
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File download under embargo until 18 May 2025 | 2023-04-20 21:04:14 -0400 | File download under embargo until 18 May 2025 |
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