Physical activity habits and cognitive impairment in the elderly in some districts of Ha Nam province, Vietnam in 2020

Abstract

Objectives: To understand the physical activity and cognitive impairment among elderly people.

Materials and methods: The study was conducted on 1210 elderly people (aged 60 and older) in 3 district in Ha Nam province: Binh Luc, Duy Tien and Kim Bang, from January 2020 to June 2020.

Results: The prevalence of elderly people with symptoms of cognitive impairment was 46.36%. There was a significant difference in the rate of cognitive impairment between 2 groups of continuous exercise (41.92%) and the group Non-exercise (51.62%) (p<0.05). Compared to the Non-exercise group, the risk of cognitive impairment of group that exercise 15 - 45 minutes/week (OR = 0.69; 95% CI: 0.51 - 0.93; p = 0.014); group that exercise 45 - 90 minute/week group (OR = 0.61; 95% CI: 0.44 - 0.84; p = 0.003) and group that exercise over 90 minutes/week (OR = 0.43; 95% CI: 0.27 - 0.67; p = 0.000) were all significantly lower.

Conclusion: The more time the participants spent exercise, the lower the risk of developing cognitive impairment they get. It is necessary to expand research, continue to apply the international standard cognitive screening test, also guide and encourage the older adults to carry out physical activities according to their capabilities and international recommendations.