Home › Research › Prevention and risk
Social activity, cognitive decline and dementia risk: a 20-year prospective cohort study
Marioni RE, Proust-Lima C, Amieva H, Brayne C, Matthews FE, Dartigues JF, Jacqmin-Gadda H.. BMC public health, 2015-10-24
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Background Identifying modifiable lifestyle correlates of cognitive decline and risk of dementia is complex, particularly as few population-based longitudinal studies jointly model these interlinked processes. Recent methodological developments allow us to examine statistically defined sub-populations with separate cognitive trajectories and dementia risks. Methods Engagement in social, physical, or intellectual pursuits, social network size, self-perception of feeling well understood, and degree of satisfaction with social relationships were assessed in 2854 participants from the Paquid cohort (mean baseline age 77 years) and related to incident dementia and cognitive change over 20-years of follow-up. Multivariate repeated cognitive information was exploited by defining the global cognitive functioning as the latent common factor underlying the tests. In addition, three latent homogeneous sub-populations of cognitive change and dementia were identified and contrasted according to social environment variables. Results In the whole population, we found associations between increased engagement in social, physical, or intellectual pursuits and increased cognitive ability (but not decline) and decreased risk of incident dementia, and between feeling understood and slower cognitive decline. There was evidence for three sub-populations of cognitive aging: fast, medium, and no cognitive decline. The social-environment measures at baseline did not help explain the heterogeneity of cognitive decline and incident dementia diagnosis between these sub-populations. Conclusions We observed a complex series of relationships between social-environment variables and cognitive decline and dementia. In the whole population, factors such as increased engagement in social, physical, or intellectual pursuits were related to a decreased risk of dementia. However, in a sub-population analysis, the social-environment variables were not linked to the heterogeneous patterns of cognitive decline and dementia risk that defined the sub-groups.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Marioni, R. E., Proust-Lima, C., Amieva, H., Brayne, C., Matthews, F. E., Dartigues, J. F., et al. (2015). Social activity, cognitive decline and dementia risk: a 20-year prospective cohort study. BMC public health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-2426-6
Vancouver
Marioni RE, Proust-Lima C, Amieva H, Brayne C, Matthews FE, Dartigues JF, et al. Social activity, cognitive decline and dementia risk: a 20-year prospective cohort study. BMC public health. 2015. doi:10.1186/s12889-015-2426-6. PMID: 26499254.
BibTeX
@article{marioni2015-26499254,
author = {Marioni, R. E. and Proust-Lima, C. and Amieva, H. and Brayne, C. and Matthews, F. E. and Dartigues, J. F. and Jacqmin-Gadda, H.},
title = {{Social activity, cognitive decline and dementia risk: a 20-year prospective cohort study}},
journal = {BMC public health},
year = {2015},
doi = {10.1186/s12889-015-2426-6},
pmid = {26499254},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-2426-6}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Results In the whole population, we found associations between increased engagement in social, physical, or intellectual pursuits and increased cognitive ability (but not decline) and decreased risk of incident dementia, and between feeling understood and slower cognitive decline.
- Conclusions We observed a complex series of relationships between social-environment variables and cognitive decline and dementia.
- In the whole population, factors such as increased engagement in social, physical, or intellectual pursuits were related to a decreased risk of dementia.
Why it matters
In 2,854 older adults from the Paquid cohort (mean age 77) followed for 20 years, people more engaged in social, physical or intellectual pursuits had higher cognitive scores and a lower risk of dementia, though not slower decline. Feeling understood was linked to slower decline. But these social factors did not explain why some people declined fast, some slowly and some not at all. The study's authors call these "a complex series of relationships", and they show association, not proof that staying active prevents dementia.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Prevention →
Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Participants2,854
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 66/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (BMC public health) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | BMC Public Health: journal h-index 289 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A longitudinal study following the same people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2015 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 2,854 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 | 5 / 7 | Cited 212 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 16.3 citations a year over 13 year(s) since 2015 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 9.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 10 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 55 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Hélène Jacqmin‐Gadda: h-index 50 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Inserm: institution h-index 1,988 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 7 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 26499254) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 66 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1186/s12889-015-2426-6
- PubMed: 26499254
- Original source →
- Free full text: BMC Public Health →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
10 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references. Showing the 8 highest-scoring.
Related studies in Prevention and risk
Also tagged “biobank”
1,084 studies in the library carry the topic tag “biobank”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 1,084 tagged studies.