Differential Associations of Physical Activity and Cognitive Function Among Diverse Older Adult Populations in the NHANES 2011-2014

Objectives: Physical activity (PA) is positively associated with cognitive health. However, the extent to which this relationship varies across different demographic and health status subgroups remains unclear. Methods: This study involves 2,547 US individuals aged ≥60 from the NHANES cycle to examine the associations between device-based PA levels (average daily PA and Peak-30 in the Monitor Independent Movement Summary unit and performance-based cognitive function (memory, executive function, processing speed, and sustained attention) in different subgroups. Results: Both daily PA and higher-intensity PA (Peak-30) showed overlapping positive associations with cognitive function in older adults. However, the strength of these associations varies across subgroups of older adults who share similar demographic and health profiles. Conclusion: These findings could inform the tailoring of PA interventions to meet the specific needs of different older adult subgroups to optimize cognitive benefits and potentially reduce the risk of cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative diseases.