Health or wealth? Socioeconomic status as a moderator of the association between healthy activity behaviours and cognitive function

Project Summary

Engaging in physical activity, reducing sedentary behaviour (e.g., sitting), and getting sleep can promote cognitive health and reduce the risk of dementia. The amount of time a person spends in each of these behaviours is known as the 24-hour activity cycle. Individuals who have favourable 24-hour activity profiles (i.e., physically active, less sitting, more sleep) may have better cognitive health over time than those with less favourable profiles. Socioeconomic status (SES) can affect one’s 24-hour activity profile. Those with low SES are at greater risk for dementia than those with high SES. Thus, SES may impact the benefits of a favourable 24-hour activity profile on cognitive health. Effective dementia prevention likely requires social and economic changes. We need to advance our understanding of the role of SES in promoting cognitive health. Using CLSA data, we will examine the impact of SES on the effects of 24-hour activity profiles on changes in cognitive function over time.