Abstract
Objective: The aim of this article is to study the associations between healthy lifestyle in old age and decline in physical, psychological, cognitive, and social functioning. Method: A population-based sample of 3,107 Dutch men and women aged 55 and 85 years (1992/1993; Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam) was used with five 3-yeary follow-up examinations. Lifestyle score, based on smoking status, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and body mass index (BMI), ranged from 0 (unhealthy) to 4 (healthy). Outcomes included gait speed, depressive symptoms, cognitive status, and social contacts. Results: Persons with a healthy lifestyle had a 10.6% slower decline in gait speed (0.04 m/s, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.03, 0.05]), 10.8% slower increase in depressive symptoms (–1.07 [–1.70, –0.44]), a 1.8% slower decline in cognitive functioning (0.47 [0.23, 0.70]), and a 4.9% slower decline in social contacts (0.58 [0.01, 1.15]) compared with persons with no or one healthy lifestyle factor. Discussion: A healthy lifestyle benefits physical, psychological, cognitive, and social functioning up to very old age.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1297-1314 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | Journal of Aging and Health |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| Early online date | 29 May 2018 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Aug 2019 |
Funding
The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam is supported by a grant from the Netherlands Ministry of Health Welfare and Sports, Directorate of Long-Term Care. Funding for this article was also provided by the European Union FP7 MooDFOOD Project “Multi-country cOllaborative project on the rOle of Diet, FOod-related behaviour, and Obesity in the prevention of Depression” (grant agreement no. 613598). The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam is supported by a grant from the Netherlands Ministry of Health Welfare and Sports, Directorate of Long-Term Care. Funding for this article was also provided by the European Union FP7 MooDFOOD Project ?Multi-country cOllaborative project on the rOle of Diet, FOod-related behaviour, and Obesity in the prevention of Depression? (grant agreement no. 613598).
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| European Union FP7 | 613598 |
| European Union FP7 MooDFOOD Project | |
| Netherlands Ministry of Health Welfare and Sports, Directorate of Long-Term Care |
Keywords
- cognitive functioning
- older adults
- physical functioning
- psychological functioning
- social functioning
