ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Aging and Public Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1539369
This article is part of the Research TopicBiomechanics of Aging: Advances in Exercise and Intervention Strategies for Older Adult WellnessView all articles
Gender Differences in Cognitive Benefits of Meeting Physical Activity Guidelines in Older Chinese Adults
Provisionally accepted
- Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
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Objective: This study investigates the relationship between adherence to WHO physical activity guidelines and cognitive function in older Chinese adults, with a particular focus on gender-specific effects. We hypothesize that meeting physical activity guidelines is positively associated with cognitive function and that the magnitude of this association differs between men and women.We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 308 community-dwelling older adults in Nanjing, China (mean age = 68.4 years, SD = 5.6). Participants were stratified by gender and age group (60-70 vs. 71-80 years). Physical activity was objectively measured using ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers, and cognitive function was assessed via the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Multivariable linear regression was used to examine associations between physical activity adherence and cognitive function, adjusting for age, education, BMI, and self-rated health. Gender differences were analyzed using ANOVA, and interaction terms were included to assess moderation effects.Results: Older adults meeting the WHO-recommended 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week had significantly higher MoCA scores than non-adherent individuals (β = 3.67, 95% CI: 3.04-4.29, p < 0.001; Cohen's d = 0.85). Women showed greater improvements in executive function (β = 0.79, p = 0.043) and visuospatial abilities (β = 0.47, p = 0.017), while men demonstrated greater memory gains (β = 1.31, p < 0.001). A significant interaction between gender and physical activity adherence (p = 0.008) suggested distinct cognitive benefits across sexes.Adherence to physical activity guidelines is associated with cognitive health in older adults, with gender-specific variations in cognitive benefits. These findings underscore the importance of tailored public health interventions that consider gender differences in cognitive aging to optimize cognitive outcomes.
Keywords: accelerometer, Cognitive Function, gender differences, older adults, physical activity
Received: 04 Dec 2024; Accepted: 19 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, Chen and WU. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Zhijian WU, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
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