Evaluating the Consistency of Subjective Activity Assessments and Their Relation to Cognition in Older Adults

(1) Background: Research examining whether activity engagement is related to cognitive functioning in older adults has been limited to using retrospective reports of activity which may be affected by biases. This study compared two measurements (estimated weekly versus reported daily), and whether t...

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Main Authors: Cassandra R. Hatt, Christopher R. Brydges, Jacqueline A. Mogle, Martin J. Sliwinski, Allison A. M. Bielak
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-07-01
Series:Geriatrics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2308-3417/6/3/74
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author Cassandra R. Hatt
Christopher R. Brydges
Jacqueline A. Mogle
Martin J. Sliwinski
Allison A. M. Bielak
author_facet Cassandra R. Hatt
Christopher R. Brydges
Jacqueline A. Mogle
Martin J. Sliwinski
Allison A. M. Bielak
author_sort Cassandra R. Hatt
collection DOAJ
description (1) Background: Research examining whether activity engagement is related to cognitive functioning in older adults has been limited to using retrospective reports of activity which may be affected by biases. This study compared two measurements (estimated weekly versus reported daily), and whether these activity assessments were related to cognition in older adults; (2) Methods: Participants from US (<i>n</i> = 199) and Australian (<i>n</i> = 170) samples completed a weekly estimate of activity, followed by 7 consecutive days of daily reporting. Differences between weekly estimates and daily reports were found, such that estimations at the weekly level were lower than self-reported daily information. Multivariate multiple regression was used to determine whether total activity, activity domains and the discrepancy between assessment types (i.e., weekly/daily) predicted cognitive performance across three cognitive domains (fluid, verbal, memory); (3) Results: When activity assessments were totaled, neither predicted cognition; however, when activity was grouped by domain (cognitive, social, physical), different domains predicted different cognitive outcomes. Daily reported cognitive activity significantly predicted verbal performance (β = 1.63, <i>p</i> = 0.005), while weekly estimated social activity predicted memory performance (β = −1.81, <i>p</i> = 0.050). Further, while the magnitude of discrepancy in total activity did not significantly predict cognitive performance, domain specific differences did. Differences in physical activity reported across assessments predicted fluid performance (β = −1.16, <i>p</i> = 0.033); (4) Conclusions: The significant discrepancy between the measurement types shows that it is important to recognize potential biases in responding when conducting activity and cognition research.
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spelling doaj.art-8a7ef89268f54f7b89d81c4d0bb440f32023-11-22T13:16:26ZengMDPI AGGeriatrics2308-34172021-07-01637410.3390/geriatrics6030074Evaluating the Consistency of Subjective Activity Assessments and Their Relation to Cognition in Older AdultsCassandra R. Hatt0Christopher R. Brydges1Jacqueline A. Mogle2Martin J. Sliwinski3Allison A. M. Bielak4Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USANIH West Coast Metabolomics Center, UC Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USACollege of Nursing, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA 16801, USAPrevention Research Center, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA 16801, USADepartment of Human Development and Family Studies, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA(1) Background: Research examining whether activity engagement is related to cognitive functioning in older adults has been limited to using retrospective reports of activity which may be affected by biases. This study compared two measurements (estimated weekly versus reported daily), and whether these activity assessments were related to cognition in older adults; (2) Methods: Participants from US (<i>n</i> = 199) and Australian (<i>n</i> = 170) samples completed a weekly estimate of activity, followed by 7 consecutive days of daily reporting. Differences between weekly estimates and daily reports were found, such that estimations at the weekly level were lower than self-reported daily information. Multivariate multiple regression was used to determine whether total activity, activity domains and the discrepancy between assessment types (i.e., weekly/daily) predicted cognitive performance across three cognitive domains (fluid, verbal, memory); (3) Results: When activity assessments were totaled, neither predicted cognition; however, when activity was grouped by domain (cognitive, social, physical), different domains predicted different cognitive outcomes. Daily reported cognitive activity significantly predicted verbal performance (β = 1.63, <i>p</i> = 0.005), while weekly estimated social activity predicted memory performance (β = −1.81, <i>p</i> = 0.050). Further, while the magnitude of discrepancy in total activity did not significantly predict cognitive performance, domain specific differences did. Differences in physical activity reported across assessments predicted fluid performance (β = −1.16, <i>p</i> = 0.033); (4) Conclusions: The significant discrepancy between the measurement types shows that it is important to recognize potential biases in responding when conducting activity and cognition research.https://www.mdpi.com/2308-3417/6/3/74leisure activity engagementmeasurement of activitycognitive performanceaging adults
spellingShingle Cassandra R. Hatt
Christopher R. Brydges
Jacqueline A. Mogle
Martin J. Sliwinski
Allison A. M. Bielak
Evaluating the Consistency of Subjective Activity Assessments and Their Relation to Cognition in Older Adults
Geriatrics
leisure activity engagement
measurement of activity
cognitive performance
aging adults
title Evaluating the Consistency of Subjective Activity Assessments and Their Relation to Cognition in Older Adults
title_full Evaluating the Consistency of Subjective Activity Assessments and Their Relation to Cognition in Older Adults
title_fullStr Evaluating the Consistency of Subjective Activity Assessments and Their Relation to Cognition in Older Adults
title_full_unstemmed Evaluating the Consistency of Subjective Activity Assessments and Their Relation to Cognition in Older Adults
title_short Evaluating the Consistency of Subjective Activity Assessments and Their Relation to Cognition in Older Adults
title_sort evaluating the consistency of subjective activity assessments and their relation to cognition in older adults
topic leisure activity engagement
measurement of activity
cognitive performance
aging adults
url https://www.mdpi.com/2308-3417/6/3/74
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AT jacquelineamogle evaluatingtheconsistencyofsubjectiveactivityassessmentsandtheirrelationtocognitioninolderadults
AT martinjsliwinski evaluatingtheconsistencyofsubjectiveactivityassessmentsandtheirrelationtocognitioninolderadults
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