Correlação entre atividade física e desempenho cognitivo em idosos

Abstract

Introduction: The aging of the Brazilian population has increased significantly, bringing with it an increase in chronic diseases and sedentary lifestyles. The cognitive performance of the elderly is crucial for longevity, well-being and cognition, and the level of cognition is improved with the practice of physical activities. This study seeks to correlate cognitive performance and physical activity levels in the elderly, to assess whether there is any relationship between these variables and to fill a gap in the literature. Objective: To evaluate the possible correlation between cognitive performance and level of physical activity in community-dwelling elderly individuals. Materials and methods: This is an observational, analytical, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach, including 155 individuals of both sexes, aged between 60 and 88 years. Data collection tools included a clinical assessment form, the Leganés Cognitive Test (PCL) to assess mental status, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) to assess physical activity levels. Statistical analysis included One-way Anova, Mann-Whitney and Spearman's correlation tests, with a statistical significance level of p<0.05, using SPSS® software version 22.0. Results: When comparing the mean PCL scores and the IPAQ scores, there was no significant difference (p=0.30). The correlation between PCL and IPAQ (r=0.057) is considered very weak and not significant (p=0.48). However, there were significant differences between education levels and PCL values (p=0.0001), and between PCL and age (p=0.001). Conclusion: No correlation was found between cognitive performance and level of physical activity in these individuals. However, the study showed a significant relationship between education, age and PCL scores