Differences in the body composition of women who engage and those who do not engage in programmed physical activity

Subjective cognitive impairment in older persons has a substantial influence on
their quality of life and can progress to serious illnesses such as dementia.
Physical activity level can help prevent cognitive decline and improve cognitive
performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between
frequency of physical activity and subjective cognitive impairment in Spanish
adults aged 65 and over, and to identify different risk factors. Using data from
the EHSS20 survey, the study focused on 7082 participants who provided
information on cognitive impairment and physical activity. Key predictor
variables included age, gender, BMI, marital status, and education level. A
significant relationship was found between BMI category and gender, with 66.5%
of the population being overweight or obese. Men were more likely to be
overweight than women. Socio-demographic factors such as educational level,
marital status, and physical activity frequency showed dependent associations
with sex. Women had a higher prevalence of subjective cognitive impairment than
men. A strong association was found between frequency of physical activity and
subjective cognitive impairment, with inactive older people having the highest
prevalence of subjective cognitive impairment. Older women who engage in little
physical exercise and have less education are at risk for subjective cognitive
impairment. Furthermore, for both men and women, being overweight was associated
with a more reduced risk than obesity. Significant relationships were also
discovered between subjective cognitive impairment, frequency of physical
exercise, gender, BMI, and degree of education. In conclusion, older, sedentary
women with high BMI and less education are more likely to experience subjective
cognitive impairment.

DOI: 10.3390/jfmk9030150
PMCID: PMC11417891
PMID: 39311258

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.