1. Higher Cardiorespiratory Fitness Is Associated With Better Verbal Generativity in Community-Dwelling Older Adults
- Author
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Shaun Markovic, Stephanie R. Rainey-Smith, Natalie Frost, Belinda M. Brown, Gilles E. Gignac, Jeremiah J. Peiffer, Hamid R. Sohrabi, Ralph N. Martins, and Michael Weinborn
- Subjects
Male ,Gerontology ,Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation ,Neuropsychological Tests ,Executive Function ,03 medical and health sciences ,Nonverbal communication ,0302 clinical medicine ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,Humans ,Exercise ,Aerobic capacity ,Aged ,030304 developmental biology ,0303 health sciences ,Generativity ,Rehabilitation ,VO2 max ,Cardiorespiratory fitness ,Cognition ,Executive functions ,Confidence interval ,Cardiorespiratory Fitness ,Female ,Independent Living ,Geriatrics and Gerontology ,Psychology ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery - Abstract
Objectives: To examine the associations between physical activity duration and intensity, cardiorespiratory fitness, and executive function in older adults. Methods: Data from 99 cognitively normal adults (age = 69.10 ± 5.1 years; n = 54 females) were used in the current study. Physical activity (intensity and duration) was measured with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and fitness was measured by analysis of maximal aerobic capacity, VO2peak. Executive function was measured comprehensively, including measures of Shifting, Updating, Inhibition, Generativity, and Nonverbal Reasoning. Results: Higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness were associated with better performance on Generativity (B = .55; 95% confidence interval [.15, .97]). No significant associations were found between self-reported physical activity intensity/duration and executive functions. Discussion: To our knowledge, this study is the first to identify an association between fitness and Generativity. Associations between physical activity duration and intensity and executive function requires further study, using objective physical activity measures and longitudinal observations.
- Published
- 2019