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Leisure-time physical activity sustained since midlife and preservation of cognitive function: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study
Palta P, Sharrett AR, Deal JA, Evenson KR, Gabriel KP, Folsom AR, Gross AL, Windham BG et al.. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 2018-10-12
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Introduction We tested the hypotheses that higher levels of and persistence of midlife leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) are associated long-term with lower cognitive decline and less incident dementia. Methods A total of 10,705 participants (mean age: 60 years) had LTPA (no, low, middle, or high) measured in 1987-1989 and 1993-1995. LTPA was assessed in relation to incident dementia and 14-year change in general cognitive performance.
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APA 7th
Palta, P., Sharrett, A. R., Deal, J. A., Evenson, K. R., Gabriel, K. P., Folsom, A. R., et al. (2019). Leisure-time physical activity sustained since midlife and preservation of cognitive function: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jalz.2018.08.008
Vancouver
Palta P, Sharrett AR, Deal JA, Evenson KR, Gabriel KP, Folsom AR, et al. Leisure-time physical activity sustained since midlife and preservation of cognitive function: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association. 2019. doi:10.1016/j.jalz.2018.08.008. PMID: 30321503.
BibTeX
@article{palta2019-30321503,
author = {Palta, P. and Sharrett, A. R. and Deal, J. A. and Evenson, K. R. and Gabriel, K. P. and Folsom, A. R. and Gross, A. L. and Windham, B. G. and others},
title = {{Leisure-time physical activity sustained since midlife and preservation of cognitive function: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study}},
journal = {Alzheimer's \& dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association},
year = {2019},
doi = {10.1016/j.jalz.2018.08.008},
pmid = {30321503},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jalz.2018.08.008}
}
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Key findings
- Methods A total of 10,705 participants (mean age: 60 years) had LTPA (no, low, middle, or high) measured in 1987-1989 and 1993-1995.
- LTPA was assessed in relation to incident dementia and 14-year change in general cognitive performance.
- Results Over a median follow-up of 17.4 years, 1063 dementia cases were observed.
- Compared with no LTPA, high LTPA in midlife was associated with lower incidence of dementia (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval], 0.71 [0.61, 0.86]) and lower declines in general cognitive performance (-0.07 standard deviation difference [-0.12 to -0.04]).
Why it matters
In 10,705 participants followed for a median of 17.4 years, high leisure-time physical activity in midlife was associated with lower dementia incidence and less cognitive decline. It reports an association and does not prove that physical activity prevents dementia.
Study details
- Participants10,705
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 54/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Alzheimer s & Dementia: journal h-index 228 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2019 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 4 / 4 | 10,705 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 66 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 7.3 citations a year over 9 year(s) since 2019 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 3.3× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 3 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 20 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Gerardo M HEISS: h-index 120 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Johns Hopkins University: institution h-index 2,306 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 7 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 30321503) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 54 / 100 | — |
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