Work

Aging Audiences: Association of Live Performance Attendance and Cognitive Decline in a Biracial Sample

Year: 2016

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVES: To examine if attendance in live performances was associated with change in cognition among African Americans (AAs) and European Americans (EAs). METHOD: The study consisted of 5,567 older adults with at least follow-up interview and analyzed using a linear mixed effects regression model adjusting for demographic and health variables. RESULTS: We found that frequent performance attendance was associated with slower decline in composite cognitive function among older AAs and EAs. Attending 10 or more performances per year was associated with 23% slower cognitive decline among AAs and 31% slower cognitive decline among EAs compared with those who never attend any performance. However, this difference was not significant ( p = .56). Attending live performances was also associated with slower decline in individual tests of perceptual speed, episodic memory, and mini-mental state exam (MMSE). DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that live performances form a valuable component of arts engagement and should be encouraged for potential cognitive benefits.

Source: Journal of Aging and Health

DOI: 10.1177/0898264316682907

Authors: Kumar B. Rajan, Rekha S. Rajan, Lydia K. Manning, Denis A. Evans

Institutions: Rush University Medical Center, Concordia University Chicago

Language: English

Topic: Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research

Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Endowment for the Arts, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging