According to a Monash University study, crossword puzzles, games like chess, and computer use are more strongly associated with older people avoiding dementia than knitting, painting, or socializing.
The findings, which are some of the most robust on this subject to date and were published in JAMA Network Open, may assist seniors and professionals who work with the elderly in planning more specific strategies for lowering the risk of dementia.
Scientists drew information from 10,318 mature Australians aged 70 and older who took part in the ASPREE project and the ALSOP (ASPREE Longitudinal Investigation of More Established People) sub-study.
“We had a unique opportunity to close a knowledge gap by investigating a wide range of lifestyle enrichment activities that older adults frequently engage in and determining which of those were most strongly associated with avoiding dementia,”
Senior author Associate Professor Joanne Ryan, from the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.
They discovered that people who regularly took adult literacy and mental acuity classes, kept journals, and did crosswords were 9 to 11 percent less likely to get dementia than their peers.
The risk was reduced by 7% through more passive activities like reading and creative hobbies like knitting, painting, and crafting. Conversely, the size of somebody’s informal community and the recurrence of outer excursions to the cinema or eatery were not related to a decrease in dementia risk.
Even after taking into account factors such as socioeconomic status and earlier education level, the findings remained statistically significant. No huge varieties were found among people.
Globally, 55 million people will have dementia in 2022, with 10 million new cases occurring annually.
The School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine’s senior author, Associate Professor Joanne Ryan, stated that finding methods to either prevent or delay dementia was a major global priority.
According to Associate Professor Ryan, “We had a unique opportunity to close a knowledge gap by investigating a broad range of lifestyle enrichment activities that older adults frequently engage in and assessing which of those were most strongly aligned with avoiding dementia.”
“Our findings suggest, in my opinion, that active manipulation of previously stored knowledge may be more effective than more passive recreational activities at lowering dementia risk. Keeping the brain dynamic and tested might be especially significant.”
The assessed leisure activities included:
Activities related to adult literacy include taking classes in adult education, using computers, writing in a journal, and mental acuity tasks like solving crosswords and quizzes. Creative hobbies include painting, woodworking, knitting, and listening to music. More passive activities include keeping up with the news, reading, and listening to music. Planned excursions include going to the movies, museums, and restaurants.
According to Associate Professor Ryan, the findings did not rule out the possibility that people who were naturally drawn to leisure activities linked to cognitive health also had certain personality traits that were advantageous in other ways or that they generally engaged in healthier behaviors.
She stated, “While participating in literacy and mental acuity activities may not be a magic pill to prevent dementia, if that were your goal and you had to choose, our research certainly suggests these are the activities most likely to support prolonged good cognitive health.”
Even though the study did not clearly show a link with dementia risk, Associate Professor Ryan stated that social connection may still be quite important to cognitive health and mental well-being.
She explained, “The participants were cognitively healthy, and they probably already led socially active lives, so the cognitive benefits of strong social networks may be less obvious in this group than in the general public.”
More information: Zimu Wu et al, Lifestyle Enrichment in Later Life and Its Association With Dementia Risk, JAMA Network Open (2023). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.23690
