Exploring relationships between social isolation and cognitive change in the CLSA [Video]

In the face of the rapidly aging Canadian population, the negative health effects associated with social isolation, including cognitive decline, are being increasingly recognized. While interventions targeting social isolation to improve cognitive function have demonstrated only small effect sizes, interventions targeting physical activity may be more effective in protecting against cognitive decline in older adults. Using baseline and follow-up one data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), latent change score models, incorporating mediation, were constructed to estimate the indirect effect of social isolation on cognitive change through physical activity. We observed that social isolation is associated with diminished physical activity, and in turn, diminished physical activity is associated with decline in memory in older women and men, and with larger declines in executive function in older males. Physical inactivity may serve as a mechanism through which social isolation negatively affects cognitive health in older adults. To maintain cognitive health among older adults experiencing social isolation, interventions aimed at increasing physical activity may be beneficial.

This CLSA webinar, presented Tuesday, May 14, was presented by Shawna Hopper, a doctoral student in the Department of Gerontology and Dr. John Best, a Research Associate at the Gerontology Research Centre at Simon Fraser University.