Background:

Lifestyle factors could promote healthy ageing.

Aim:

To investigate the association between physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior and cognitive impairment in Chilean older adults.

Material and Methods:

We included 1,390 participants from the National Health Survey (2009-2010). The Mini-Mental State Examination was used to diagnose cognitive impairment. Physical activity and sedentary behavior were assessed with the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ). Logistic regression was performed to investigate the associations.

Results:

Compared with older adults with lower levels of PA (< 48 min/day), those with middle (48-248 min/day) and higher (>248 min/day) levels of PA had lower odds for cognitive impairment (Odds ratio (OR): 0.57 [95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.33; 0.82], p < 0.01 and 0.58 [95% CI: 0.32; 0.83], p < 0.01, respectively). Participants who reported spending more than 8 hours/day sitting had a high odds for cognitive impairment compared to those who spent < 4 hours/day (OR: 3.70 [95% CI: 1.37; 6.03], p = 0.01).

Conclusions:

Both PA and sedentary behavior were independently associated with cognitive decline independent of major confounding factors in Chilean older adults.