ABSTRACT

Physical activity has well-known benefits for older adults’ mood and cognitive functioning; however, it is not clear whether risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) affect the relationships of physical activity with these health outcomes among diverse older adults. This study investigated the impact of CVD risk burden on the relationships among self-reported physical activity, mood, and cognitive functioning in a diverse sample of 62 adults age 45 and older. We found that higher physical activity was associated with better attention and verbal working memory at lower CVD risk, but with worse attention and verbal working memory at higher CVD risk levels. Thus, higher CVD risk might limit the effectiveness of exercise interventions for mood and cognitive functioning. Future studies are needed to further clarify individual differences that impact the relationships among physical activity, CVD risk, and cognitive outcomes.

摘要

众所周知，体育活动对老年人的情绪和认知功能有好处。然而，目前尚不清楚心血管疾病（CVD）的危险因素是否会影响不同老年人的体力活动与这些健康结果的关系。本研究调查了 62 名 45 岁及以上成年人的不同样本，CVD 风险负担对自我报告的体力活动、情绪和认知功能之间关系的影响。我们发现，在 CVD 风险较低的情况下，较高的体力活动与更好的注意力和言语工作记忆相关，但在 CVD 风险较高的情况下，注意力和言语工作记忆较差。因此，较高的心血管疾病风险可能会限制运动干预对情绪和认知功能的有效性。未来的研究需要进一步阐明影响身体活动、心血管疾病风险和认知结果之间关系的个体差异。