Associations Between Body Mass Index and Cognitive Change in the ACTIVE Study: Variations by Race and Social Determinants of Health

Adrienne T Aiken-Morgan; Ian M McDonough; Jeanine M Parisi; Olivio J Clay; Kelsey R Thomas; Lindsay J Rotblatt; Roland J Thorpe Jr; Michael Marsiske

doi:10.1177/08982643221109645

Associations Between Body Mass Index and Cognitive Change in the ACTIVE Study: Variations by Race and Social Determinants of Health

J Aging Health. 2023 Oct;35(9_suppl):59S-73S. doi: 10.1177/08982643221109645.

Authors

Adrienne T Aiken-Morgan¹, Ian M McDonough², Jeanine M Parisi³, Olivio J Clay⁴, Kelsey R Thomas^{5

6}, Lindsay J Rotblatt⁷, Roland J Thorpe Jr⁸, Michael Marsiske⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
² Department of Psychology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA.
³ Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
⁴ Department of Psychology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL, USA.
⁵ Research Service, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA.
⁶ Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
⁷ Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
⁸ Johns Hopkins Alzheimer's Disease Resource Center for Minority Aging Research, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.

PMID: 37994849
DOI: 10.1177/08982643221109645

Abstract

Objectives: The current study examines relationships between Body Mass Index (BMI) and cognitive performance and change in processing speed, memory, and reasoning, while accounting for variations by race and the influence of social determinants of health. Methods: Secondary data analysis of the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) study, which included participants who self-identified as African American or Black (n = 728) and White (n = 2028). Latent growth curve modeling was used to assess study aims. Results: Increases in BMI were associated with less cognitive decline over 10 years across each cognition domain. Race moderation effects were noted for speed and memory. Relationships between BMI and cognitive trajectories were mediated by economic stability for speed and reasoning. Discussion: Overall, these findings are consistent with the "obesity paradox." Further research is needed to elucidate patterns of results by race.

Keywords: Blacks/African Americans; body mass index; cognition; obesity.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Aged
Black or African American
Body Mass Index*
Cognition*
Cognitive Dysfunction*
Humans
Social Determinants of Health*
White

Grants and funding

P20 AG068024/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States