Does active leisure protect cognition? Evidence from a national birth cohort.

Richards, Marcus; Hardy, Rebecca; Wadsworth, Michael E.J

doi:10.1016/s0277-9536(02)00075-8

Cited by 264Dementia and Cognitive Impairment ResearchPhysical Activity and HealthAging and Gerontology Research

Does active leisure protect cognition? Evidence from a national birth cohort.

Richards, Marcus, Hardy, Rebecca, Wadsworth, Michael E.J·2003·Social Science & Medicine

DOI 10.1016/s0277-9536(02)00075-8

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Abstract

Social, physical and intellectual activities are thought to facilitate cognitive performance and slow the rate of age associated cognitive decline, but little is known about this association in younger adulthood. We used multiple regression to test the association between two kinds of activity at 36 years-physical exercise and spare-time activity-and verbal memory at 43 and 53 years in 1919 males and females enrolled in the MRC National Survey of Health and Development (the British 1946 birth cohort). Both kinds of activities were significantly and positively associated with memory performance at 43 years, after controlling for sex, education, occupational social class, IQ at 15 years, and recurrent ill health and significant mental distress. Furthermore, physical exercise at 36 years (but not spare-time activity) was associated with a significantly slower rate of decline in memory from 43 to 53 years, after controlling for the same factors, with evidence that continuing physical exercise after 36 years was important for protection. We conclude that physical exercise and spare-time activity are significantly associated with benefit to memory in midlife, although these two kinds of voluntary activity may exert their effects on cognition via different paths.

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Physical activity after age 36 may protect memory, but stopping exercise after 36 may offer little protection.
“These data suggest little memory protection for those who stopped exercise after age 36 but protection for those individuals who began exercise after this time.”
From Enrichment Effects on Adult Cognitive Development: Can the Functional Capacity of Older Adults Be Preserved and Enhanced? (2008) · cites this paper as Richards, Hardy, and Wadsworth (2003)
Physical activity at age 36 was associated with a slower decline in memory from ages 43 to 53, and this relationship was unchanged after adjusting for cognitive activities.
“Richards et al. (2003) reported that physical activity at 36 years of age was associated with a slower rate of decline in memory from 43 to 53 years of age and that this relationship was unchanged after adjusting for cognitive activities.”
From Enrichment Effects on Adult Cognitive Development: Can the Functional Capacity of Older Adults Be Preserved and Enhanced? (2008) · cites this paper as Richards et al. (2003)
Cognitive activities were not associated with change in memory over the interval from ages 43 to 53.
“Cognitive activities were not associated with change in memory over this interval.”
From Enrichment Effects on Adult Cognitive Development: Can the Functional Capacity of Older Adults Be Preserved and Enhanced? (2008) · cites this paper as Richards et al. (2003)
In older adults, aerobic exercise was associated with improved performances in episodic memory tasks.
“Some human studies have focussed on assessing the influence of AE on hippocampus dependent cognition and shown in older adults that AE was associated with improved performances in both episodic (Richards et al., 2003; Stewart et al., 2003; Sabia et al., 2009; Flöel et al., 2010; Ruscheweyh et al., 2011) and spatial (Erickson and Kramer, 2009; Erickson et al., 2010, 2011) memory tasks as well as in”
From Aerobic Exercise as a Tool to Improve Hippocampal Plasticity and Function in Humans: Practical Implications for Mental Health Treatment (2016) · cites this paper as Richards et al., 2003

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Authors: Richards, M., Hardy, R., & Wadsworth, M. E. J.
Affiliations: University College London (GB)
Corresponding author: Richards, Marcus
ORCID: Richards, Marcus
Hardy, Rebecca
Venue: Social Science & Medicine
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 2003-02
Volume: 56
Issue: 4
Pages: 785-792
ISSN: 0277-9536 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/s0277-9536(02)00075-8
OpenAlex: W2006421113
Cited by: 264
References: 29
Citations by year: 2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 34
FWCI: 7.96
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations: Social Science & Medicine (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
Topics: Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
Keywords: physical activity, leisure, verbal memory, cognitive decline, midlife cognition, cognitive aging, 1946 birth cohort, National Survey of Health and Development, psychological distress, social class
MeSH terms: Adult, Aging, Cognition, Female, United Kingdom, Health Status, Humans, Leisure Activities, Male, Memory, Psychometrics, Regression Analysis, Cohort Studies, Exercise

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Does active leisure protect cognition? Evidence from a national birth cohort.

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