Relations of Executive Function and Physical Performance in Middle Adulthood: A Prospective Investigation in African American and White Adults

dc.contributor.authorLeibel, Daniel K
dc.contributor.authorWilliams, Megan R
dc.contributor.authorKatzel, Leslie I
dc.contributor.authorEvans, Michele K
dc.contributor.authorZonderman, Alan B
dc.contributor.authorWaldstein, Shari R
dc.date.accessioned2020-06-12T15:50:12Z
dc.date.available2020-06-12T15:50:12Z
dc.date.issued2020-01-29
dc.description.abstractObjectives Previous studies in older adults found robust associations between executive functions (EF) and physical performance, as well as sociodemographic variation in physical performance decline. To examine these associations earlier in the adult lifespan, we investigated relations of EF, race, and sex with age-related physical performance decline during middle adulthood. Method Participants were 2,084 urban-dwelling adults (57.2% female; 57.8% African American; 37.3% living in poverty; mean baseline age = 48.1) from the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span study. Mixed-effects regression was used to examine interactive relations among EF, race, sex, and age (indexing time) with change in dominant and nondominant handgrip strength and lower extremity strength over approximately 5 years. All analyses adjusted for poverty status, and subsequently adjusted for education, body mass index, hypertension, and diabetes. Results There were no significant prospective associations between EF and decline in physical performance measures. Significant cross-sectional associations revealed that lower EF was associated with worse performance on all physical performance measures averaged across both time points (p < .05). A significant two-way interaction of Sex × Age (p = .019) revealed that men experienced greater age-related decline in lower extremity strength than women. Discussion Findings did not reveal prospective associations between EF and physical performance decline in middle adulthood. However, they identified robust cross-sectional associations between EF and physical performance, and unexpectedly greater decline in lower extremity strength in men than women. Ultimately, these findings may inform prevention and intervention strategies targeting groups at risk for poorer physical function status and decline.en_US
dc.description.abstractObjectives Previous studies in older adults found robust associations between executive functions (EF) and physical performance, as well as sociodemographic variation in physical performance decline. To examine these associations earlier in the adult lifespan, we investigated relations of EF, race, and sex with age-related physical performance decline during middle adulthood. Method Participants were 2,084 urban-dwelling adults (57.2% female; 57.8% African American; 37.3% living in poverty; mean baseline age = 48.1) from the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span study. Mixed-effects regression was used to examine interactive relations among EF, race, sex, and age (indexing time) with change in dominant and nondominant handgrip strength and lower extremity strength over approximately 5 years. All analyses adjusted for poverty status, and subsequently adjusted for education, body mass index, hypertension, and diabetes. Results There were no significant prospective associations between EF and decline in physical performance measures. Significant cross-sectional associations revealed that lower EF was associated with worse performance on all physical performance measures averaged across both time points (p < .05). A significant two-way interaction of Sex × Age (p = .019) revealed that men experienced greater age-related decline in lower extremity strength than women. Discussion Findings did not reveal prospective associations between EF and physical performance decline in middle adulthood. However, they identified robust cross-sectional associations between EF and physical performance, and unexpectedly greater decline in lower extremity strength in men than women. Ultimately, these findings may inform prevention and intervention strategies targeting groups at risk for poorer physical function status and decline.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipThe authors wish to thank the HANDLS participants for their commitment to the study as well as the HANDLS research team. This research was supported by the National Institute on Aging’s Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health (AG000513 to M. K. Evans and A. B. Zonderman); National Institutes of Health (R01AG034161 to S. R. Waldstein); and the University of Maryland Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (P30AG028747). The funding sources were not involved in the conduct of the research and preparation of the article. Data Availability: Data and analytic methods are available upon request to researchers with valid proposals who agree to the confidentiality agreement required by our Institutional Review Boards. We publicize our policies on our website (https://handls-nih-gov.proxy-bc.researchport.umd.edu/). Requests for data access may be sent to A. B. Zonderman (coauthor) or the study manager, Jennifer Norbeck, at norbeckje@mail.nih.gov. This study was not preregistered.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipThe authors wish to thank the HANDLS participants for their commitment to the study as well as the HANDLS research team. This research was supported by the National Institute on Aging’s Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health (AG000513 to M. K. Evans and A. B. Zonderman); National Institutes of Health (R01AG034161 to S. R. Waldstein); and the University of Maryland Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (P30AG028747). The funding sources were not involved in the conduct of the research and preparation of the article. Data Availability: Data and analytic methods are available upon request to researchers with valid proposals who agree to the confidentiality agreement required by our Institutional Review Boards. We publicize our policies on our website (https://handls-nih-gov.proxy-bc.researchport.umd.edu/). Requests for data access may be sent to A. B. Zonderman (coauthor) or the study manager, Jennifer Norbeck, at norbeckje@mail.nih.gov. This study was not preregistered.en_US
dc.description.urihttps://academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/geronb/gbaa012/5716913?redirectedFrom=fulltexten_US
dc.format.extent13 pagesen_US
dc.genrejournal articlesen_US
dc.identifierdoi:10.13016/m2ujib-8xrk
dc.identifier.citationDaniel K Leibel, MA, Megan R Williams, MA, Leslie I Katzel, MD, PhD, Michele K Evans, MD, Alan B Zonderman, PhD, Shari R Waldstein, PhD, Relations of Executive Function and Physical Performance in Middle Adulthood: A Prospective Investigation in African American and White Adults, The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, Volume 75, Issue 6, July 2020, Pages e56–e68, https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaa012en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaa012
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11603/18878
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherOxford Academicen_US
dc.relation.isAvailableAtThe University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Psychology Department Collection
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Faculty Collection
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Student Collection
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dc.rightsPublic Domain Mark 1.0*
dc.rightsThis work was written as part of one of the author's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/*
dc.titleRelations of Executive Function and Physical Performance in Middle Adulthood: A Prospective Investigation in African American and White Adultsen_US
dc.typeTexten_US

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