Physical activity and cognitive function among community-dwelling older adults: a mediating role of functional fitness

Yi Q 1 , Yang C 1 , Qi Y 2 , Feng X 3 , Tan J 1 , Song X 1 Show all authors , Selvanayagam VS 4 , Cheong JPG 5

Affiliations 

  • 1 Faculty of Sports and Exercise Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 2 Department of Physical Education and Research, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
  • 3 Faculty of Physical Education, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, China
  • 4 Faculty of Sports and Exercise Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. victors@um.edu.my
  • 5 Faculty of Sports and Exercise Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. jadeera@um.edu.my
BMC Public Health, 2025 Mar 21;25(1):1081.
PMID: 40119281 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-025-22321-2

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The positive correlation between physical activity and cognitive function has been increasingly documented, while the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

METHODS: This study aimed to investigate the association among physical activity (PA), functional fitness, and cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults, and to examine whether functional fitness mediates this association. This study utilized a cross-sectional design, encompassing 224 participants aged 65 or above, with 41.07% male and 58.93% female. The data were collected in 2023 using the Mini-Mental State Examination, Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly, and Senior Fitness Test. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to assess associations among the variables, and mediation analysis was performed using the PROCESS macro for SPSS.

RESULTS: The results indicated that PA had a moderate positive correlation with cognitive function (r = 0.437, p 

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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