Cognitive impairment is a common health problem with an increasing occurrence rate. People diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) are likely to progress to dementia and have a greater risk of decline in cognition than cognitively healthy individuals. Although research has shown that non-pharmacological interventions, including leisure activities (such as crosswords, puzzles, reading, playing a musical instrument and learning new skills), are associated with better cognitive function over time, the benefits of such activities in postponing or preventing cognitive decline among older adults with MCI based on different levels of participation are still unknown.
In a recent study published in the Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, a team of researchers led by Dr Jungjoo Lee from the University of Southern Mississippi, Texas A&M University and Indiana University (US), investigated the effects of different levels of cognitively stimulating leisure activities (CSLA) participation on three cognitive functions (i.e. memory, working memory, and attention and processing speed) among older adults with MCI. This longitudinal research used data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) core from 2012 to 2020. The HRS is a household-based survey, administered biennially, that contains information about aging among older adults aged 45 to 90 from the US. A total of 5,932 older adults with MCI with ages ranging from 50 to 109 years old (58.5% females and 41.5% males) were included in this study which merged data from the 2012 to 2020 HRS to obtain CSLA participation over 8 years. Then, researchers subdivided the total amount of CSLA participation into three groups (i.e. the low, mid and high-level CSLA participation).
The high-level CSLA participation group consisted of individuals who reported a higher frequency of CSLA participation compared to the other two groups. Researchers found that the high-level CSLA participation group had the highest mean memory compared to the low and mid-level groups and had also the highest score in working memory over the period analised. Regarding attention and processing speed, the gaps between the three groups were the largest and only the high CSLA participation group kept similar attention and processing speed levels consistently from 2012 to 2020. Although this study shows some limitations, such as the lack of comparison between older adults with MCI and younger adults with MCI, or the lack of consideration of the different types of MCI, it seems that engagement in higher levels of CSLA (at least three to four times a week) increased memory, working memory, and attention and processing speed levels in older adults with MCI compared to the low and mid-level CSLA participation groups. More research is needed to design and implement effective CSLA programs for older adults with MCI and to overcome the barriers to CSLA participation among this population.