Objective: Urbanization and aging are global phenomena that faceunique challenges in different countries. It has become a hot topic to delay
the decline of cognitive ability in the elderly, and physical activity plays an
important role in it. To compensate for the limitations of self-reported physical
activity, the present study used objective measures of physical activity to explore
the relationship between physical activity and sedentary behavior and cognitive
ability in older adults. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted
among 512 elderly people in Nanjing. Actigraph GT3X+ was used to measure
physical activity and sedentary behavior, and Montreal Cognitive Assessment
was used to evaluate the Cognitive ability of the elderly. Linear regression
model was used to investigate the dose-response relationship between physical
activity, sedentary behavior and cognitive ability in the elderly. Results: In the
population participant model, after adjusting for age, BMI, highest education,
and monthly mean income, physical activity in older adults (β=0.006, p<0.01)
had a significant linear relationship with cognitive ability; Sedentary time was
not significantly associated with cognitive performance. Conclusion: Physical
activity can significantly improve the cognitive ability of the elderly, while
sedentary behavior has a weak effect on cognitive function.