Lifestyle Habits and Subjective Memory Complaints in Older Users of the Terrapino Mobile Application

TL;DR

This study explores how lifestyle factors like physical activity, mental activity, diet, and sleep affect memory complaints in older adults using a mobile app.

Contribution

The study identifies specific lifestyle factors associated with subjective memory complaints in older adults and explores the role of stress management.

Findings

Getting 7-8 hours of sleep per day was most strongly associated with fewer memory complaints.

Healthier diet and mental activity were also linked to fewer memory complaints.

Stress management partially explained the link between lifestyle and memory complaints.

Abstract

Subjective memory complaints (SMCs), such as difficulty recalling names or recent events despite otherwise normal cognition, can affect daily functioning and quality of life. We examined the association between lifestyle and SMCs while considering physical and mental health.

Participants were 3,789 dementia-free adults aged 60+ years with complete data who used Terrapino, a free mobile application designed to promote cognitive health, launched in December 2022. SMCs were measured with 8 yes/no items on memory-related issues. Composites of physical activity (walks, exercise, sports measured), mental activity (reading, board games, mediation etc.), and health diet (nuts, fish, vegetables, berries, meat consumption [reversed]), were measured as never, sometimes, or frequently, and z scored. Average hours of sleep/day (7-8 vs. not) were also assessed.

Mean age was 69.6±6.4 (60-103) years, 71% were women; 85% had at least high school education, and 43% were college educated. In an ordinal logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, and education, higher physical activity (Estimate=-0.09, p=.004) and mental activity (Estimate=-0.07, p=.025), healthier diet (Estimate=-0.21, p<.001), and getting 7-8 hours of sleep/day (Estimate=-0.32, p<.001) were all associated with lower SMCs. Adding comorbidity to the model explained away the physical activity-SMCs link (p=.088); adding hearing problems had no effect, and adding ability to manage stress explained the association between physical (p=.364) and mental (p=.057) activities and SMCs, while other associations remained significant.

Lifestyle, particularly sleep, relates to memory complaints. Some associations reflected ability to manage stress.