Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and cognition among older adults in China: Mediation by depressive symptoms and moderation by age.

A Study on the Depressive Symptoms and Life Satisfaction Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in China Based on CHARLS 2020 Data

Sleep deprivation, as well as different types of social engagement, physical activity, physical activity, and digital behavior, exhibit distinct associations with depressive symptoms in middle-aged and older adults in China.

Association Between Educational Attainment and Depressive Symptom Severity Among Young-Old Adults Aged 60–74 Years: The Mediating Role of Self-Reported Memory Function

Background: This study aimed to investigate the association between educational attainment and depressive symptoms among young-old adults aged 60–74 years, and to examine the mediating effect of self-reported memory function between them, so as to provide a reference for the early screening and intervention of depressive symptom severity in this population. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, and data were derived from the 2022 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). After data cleaning, 3666 valid samples were included. Depressive symptom severity was assessed using the 8-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D 8) (Cronbach’s α = 0.771, Guttman Split-Half Coefficient = 0.742), with a total score ≥ 9 defined as probable depression. Self-reported memory function was measured using a single item (scored 0–4), with higher scores indicating better perceived memory, and was treated as a continuous variable for analysis. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis were performed using R software (version 4.2.3). The mediation effect was tested using the product-of-coefficients method combined with the bootstrap method (5000 resamples), supplemented by a quasi-Bayesian model and multiple sensitivity analyses (including outcome variable substitution and model diagnostic corrections) for robustness testing. Results: Among the study participants, the prevalence of probable depression was 25.18%. Correlation analyses showed that educational attainment was significantly negatively correlated with depressive symptom severity (r = −0.177, p < 0.001) and significantly positively correlated with self-reported memory function (r = 0.241, p < 0.001). Self-reported memory function was significantly negatively correlated with depressive symptom severity (r = −0.223, p < 0.001). After adjusting for age, gender, place of residence, subjective income, self-rated health, and chronic disease status, mediation analysis showed that the direct effect of educational attainment on depressive symptom severity was −0.297 (95% CI: −0.424 to −0.174), while the indirect effect via self-reported memory function was −0.109 (95% CI: −0.139 to −0.082). The direct and indirect effects accounted for 73.20% and 26.80% of the total effect, respectively; the results of the quasi-Bayesian analysis and multiple sensitivity analyses were consistent in direction, further validating the stability of this mediation effect. Conclusions: Among young-old adults aged 60–74 years, self-reported memory function plays a partial statistical mediating role in the association between educational attainment and depressive symptom severity. This suggests that strengthening attention to memory status and early screening among individuals with lower educational attainment may offer a potential intervention approach for alleviating depressive symptom severity in this population in the future.

A longitudinal study of socioeconomic status and cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults in China: random intercept cross-lagged panel analysis.

Cognitive status and depressive symptoms among older adults: a SEM analysis study

The increase of age is related with high concerns of cognitive decline and depression which frequently influence each other in both directions. The objective of the current study is the assessment of the cognitive status and the symptoms indicating depression the older adults, in order to evaluate a structural model that subjective cognitive complaints mediate the relationship between objective cognitive performance and depression. The current study, cross-sectional in nature, was carried out with 140 community-dwelling senior adults (63.38 ± 7.22 years). Participants were assessed by using three standardized instruments: Abbreviated Mental Test Score (AMT) for objective cognitive performance, the Persian Cognitive Difficulties Scale (PCDS-26) for subjective cognitive complaints, and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) for depressive symptoms. Data were analyzed by the use of SEM (Structural Equation Modeling), together with diagonally weighted least squares (DWLS) estimation to test a partial mediation hypothesis. The finalized model fit was assessed using χ²/df, CFI, TLI, and RMSEA. The structural model resulted in very impressive goodness-of-fit indices (χ²/df = 1.102, CFI = 0.996, RMSEA = 0.027). The analysis revealed that objective cognitive performance has a remarkable direct negative impact on depressive symptoms (β = -0.289, p  = 0.001). Furthermore, a significant indirect pathway was also identified (β = -0.108): higher objective cognitive performance was associated with fewer subjective cognitive complaints (β = -0.201), which in turn strongly predicted lower levels of depressive symptoms (β = 0.534). The total effect of objective cognition on depression was β = -0.397. The findings confirm that better objective cognition is linked to fewer subjective complaints and lower depression, with subjective perceptions partially mediating this relationship. This finding highlights the potential relevance of metacognitive awareness to late-life mental health. Clinically, screening for subjective cognitive complaints may help identify older adults with elevated depressive symptoms who could benefit from further assessment and appropriate interventions, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy. Therefore, clinicians should integrate assessments of subjective cognitive difficulties into routine depression screenings to provide more holistic geriatric care. Not applicable. We clarify that this research employed a cross‑sectional design, with all data gathered and analyzed at one single time point. Therefore, the study does not constitute a clinical trial.

Physical activity and cognitive performance: cross-sectional analysis of the Brazilian longitudinal study of adult health (ELSA-Brazil).

INTRODUCTION Evidence on the relationship between Leisure-Time Physical Activity (LTPA), Commuting Physical Activity (CPA), and cognitive performance is inconsistent. OBJECTIVE To examine the associations between LTPA, CPA, and cognitive performance in adults from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA‒Brazil). METHODS This cross-sectional analysis included 13,340 participants (median age 51 years; 54.5% women). Physical Activity (PA) was assessed using the long-form International Physical Activity Questionnaire, including LTPA and CPA. Cognitive performance was measured by word memory, verbal fluency, and the Trail Making Test Part B. Z-scores were computed for each test, and a global cognitive score was derived as their mean. Linear regression models estimated associations between PA levels and cognitive performance after multivariable adjustment, including occupational status. Analyses were stratified by sex and conducted in the overall sample. RESULTS LTPA inactivity was associated with lower scores for verbal fluency (β = -0.07; 95% CI: -0.10 to -0.04), executive function (β = -0.10; 95% CI: -0.13 to -0.06), and global cognition (β = -0.06; 95% CI: -0.08 to -0.03). CPA inactivity showed associations in the opposite direction, with higher executive function (β = 0.08; 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.12) and memory in men (β=0.05; 95% CI: 0.001 to 0.10). After adjustment for occupational status, CPA associations attenuated and lost significance. CONCLUSION In this cross-sectional study, the relationship between PA and cognition differed by domain. LTPA was associated with better cognitive scores, while CPA showed non-favorable or null associations after adjustment.

Association between physical exercise and cognitive frailty among community-dwelling older adults: the mediating role of self-efficacy

Purpose This study aimed to examine the relationship among physical exercise, self-efficacy, and cognitive frailty, and to test the mediating role of self-efficacy in the association between physical exercise and cognitive frailty among community-dwelling older adults. Methods This cross-sectional survey employed a convenience sampling method to recruit community-dwelling older adults from nine communities in Henan Province, China. Data were collected from January to May 2026. The measurements included a general information questionnaire, the Fried Phenotype (FP), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), the Physical Activity Rating Scale-3 (PARS-3), and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES). SPSS 27.0 and R software were used for statistical analysis. Result A total of 570 questionnaires were distributed, and after excluding invalid responses, 563 valid questionnaires were retained. The prevalence of cognitive frailty among community-dwelling older adults was 21.3%. Univariate analysis revealed that age, marital status, education level, smoking, drinking, average monthly income, sleep quality, chronic diseases, subjective cognitive decline (SCD), physical exercise score, and self-efficacy score were significantly associated with cognitive frailty (p < 0.05). Mediation analysis further showed that self-efficacy significantly mediated the association between physical exercise and cognitive frailty, with the mediation effect accounting for 35.17% of the total effect. Conclusion The prevalence of cognitive frailty among community-dwelling older adults was relatively high. Physical exercise was directly associated with cognitive frailty and also indirectly associated with it through self-efficacy, with the indirect effect accounting for 35.17% of the total effect.