Table 2. Cross-sectional associations between age and cognitive function tests measured at baseline (2006–10).
| Mean (SD) Score | Model 1a | Model 2b | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| β (95% CI) | P value | β (95% CI) | P value | ||
| cFluid Intelligence (n = 158,673) | |||||
| <45 | 6.02 (2.24) | Reference | Reference | ||
| 45–49 | 5.99 (2.21) | -0.02 (-0.07,0.02) | 0.29 | -0.05 (-0.09,-0.01) | 0.01 |
| 50–54 | 6.10 (2.20) | 0.08 (0.04,0.13) | 0.0001 | 0.05 (0.01,0.09) | 0.01 |
| 55–59 | 6.22 (2.18) | 0.20 (0.16,0.24) | <.0001 | 0.19 (0.16,0.23) | <.0001 |
| 60–64 | 6.04 (2.12) | 0.02 (-0.02,0.06) | 0.41 | 0.11 (0.07,0.15) | <.0001 |
| 65+ | 5.65 (2.03) | -0.38 (-0.42,-0.34) | <.0001 | -0.19 (-0.23,-0.14) | <.0001 |
| Trend | -0.06 (-0.06,-0.05) | <.0001 | 0.002 (-0.01,0.01) | 0.64 | |
| dePairs Matching (n = 461,393) | |||||
| <45 | 1.30 (0.63) | Reference | Reference | ||
| 45–49 | 1.37 (0.63) | 0.07 (0.06,0.08) | <.0001 | 0.07 (0.06,0.08) | <.0001 |
| 50–54 | 1.42 (0.63) | 0.12 (0.12,0.13) | <.0001 | 0.13 (0.12,0.13) | <.0001 |
| 55–59 | 1.46 (0.62) | 0.16 (0.16,0.18) | <.0001 | 0.17 (0.16,0.17) | <.0001 |
| 60–64 | 1.53 (0.62) | 0.23 (0.22,0.23) | <.0001 | 0.22 (0.22,0.23) | <.0001 |
| 65+ | 1.62 (0.61) | 0.32 (0.32,0.33) | <.0001 | 0.31 (0.30,0.32) | <.0001 |
| Trend | 0.06 (0.06,0.06) | <.0001 | 0.06 (0.06,0.06) | <.0001 | |
| dReaction Time (n = 468,534) | |||||
| <45 | 502.7 (91.3) | Reference | Reference | ||
| 45–49 | 520.1 (96.4) | 17.0 (15.8,18.3) | <.0001 | 17.9 (16.7,19.1) | <.0001 |
| 50–54 | 538.2 (100.6) | 34.9 (33.7,36.1) | <.0001 | 35.9 (34.7,37.1) | <.0001 |
| 55–59 | 555.7 (104.5) | 52.6 (51.5,53.8) | <.0001 | 52.4 (51.3,53.6) | <.0001 |
| 60–64 | 576.8 (109.6) | 73.9 (72.8,75.0) | <.0001 | 71.0 (69.8,72.3) | <.0001 |
| 65+ | 599.0 (115.5) | 96.8 (95.6,97.9) | <.0001 | 90.8 (89.4,92.2) | <.0001 |
| Trend | 19.4 (19.2,19.6) | <.0001 | 17.9 (17.7,18.2) | <.0001 | |
| deTrail A (n = 100,354) | |||||
| <45 | 3.44 (0.31) | Reference | Reference | ||
| 45–49 | 3.50 (0.31) | 0.06 (0.05,0.07) | <.0001 | 0.06 (0.05,0.07) | <.0001 |
| 50–54 | 3.55 (0.31) | 0.10 (0.10,0.11) | <.0001 | 0.11 (0.10,0.11) | <.0001 |
| 55–59 | 3.61 (0.31) | 0.17 (0.16,0.18) | <.0001 | 0.17 (0.16,0.17) | <.0001 |
| 60–64 | 3.68 (0.31) | 0.24 (0.23,0.25) | <.0001 | 0.22 (0.22,0.23) | <.0001 |
| 65+ | 3.77 (0.32) | 0.34 (0.33,0.34) | <.0001 | 0.31 (0.30,0.32) | <.0001 |
| Trend | 0.07 (0.06,0.07) | <.0001 | 0.06 (0.06,0.06) | <.0001 | |
| deTrail B (n = 100,352) | |||||
| <45 | 3.94 (0.31) | Reference | Reference | ||
| 45–49 | 4.00 (0.30) | 0.06 (0.05,0.07) | <.0001 | 0.06 (0.05,0.07) | <.0001 |
| 50–54 | 4.06 (0.31) | 0.12 (0.11,0.13) | <.0001 | 0.12 (0.12,0.13) | <.0001 |
| 55–59 | 4.14 (0.31) | 0.20 (0.19,0.21) | <.0001 | 0.20 (0.19,0.20) | <.0001 |
| 60–64 | 4.23 (0.32) | 0.30 (0.29,0.31) | <.0001 | 0.28 (0.27,0.29) | <.0001 |
| 65+ | 4.35 (0.33) | 0.41 (0.40,0.42) | <.0001 | 0.39 (0.38,0.40) | <.0001 |
| Trend | 0.08 (0.08,0.08) | <.0001 | 0.07 (0.07,0.08) | <.0001 | |
| cSymbol Digit Substitution (n = 114,152) | |||||
| <45 | 23.4 (4.9) | Reference | Reference | ||
| 45–49 | 22.2 (4.7) | -1.2 (-1.3,-1.1) | <.0001 | -1.2 (-1.3,-1.1) | <.0001 |
| 50–54 | 21.1 (4.7) | -2.3 (-2.4,-2.3) | <.0001 | -2.3 (-2.4,-2.2) | <.0001 |
| 55–59 | 19.8 (4.7) | -3.6 (-3.7,-3.5) | <.0001 | -3.6 (-3.7,-3.4) | <.0001 |
| 60–64 | 18.2 (4.6) | -5.2 (-5.3,-5.1) | <.0001 | -4.9 (-5.1,-4.8) | <.0001 |
| 65+ | 16.1 (4.8) | -7.3 (-7.4,-7.1) | <.0001 | -6.9 (-7.0,-6.8) | <.0001 |
| Trend | -1.4 (-1.4,-1.4) | <.0001 | -1.3 (-1.3,-1.3) | <.0001 | |
| cProspective Memory Test (n = 164,092) | |||||
| % correct | OR (95% CI) | P value | OR (95% CI) | P value | |
| <45 | 81.3 | Reference | Reference | ||
| 45–49 | 81.1 | 0.99 (0.94, 1.04) | 0.63 | 0.96 (0.91, 1.01) | 0.12 |
| 50–54 | 79.5 | 0.90 (0.85, 0.94) | <.0001 | 0.86 (0.81, 0.90) | <.0001 |
| 55–59 | 78.9 | 0.86 (0.82, 0.90) | <.0001 | 0.82 (0.78, 0.87) | <.0001 |
| 60–64 | 75.6 | 0.71 (0.68, 0.74) | <.0001 | 0.69 (0.66, 0.73) | <.0001 |
| 65+ | 68.9 | 0.51 (0.49, 0.53) | <.0001 | 0.51 (0.49, 0.54) | <.0001 |
| Trend | 0.87 (0.86, 0.88) | <.0001 | 0.89 (0.88, 0.89) | <.0001 | |
aModel 1: adjusted for sex
bModel 2: adjusted for sex, smoking, Townsend deprivation index, education, income, alcohol intake, physical activity, ethnicity, and employment status.
cNegative beta-coefficients for FI and SDS and OR <1 for PM correspond to lower performance compared to <45.
dPositive beta-coefficients for Pairs, RT, Trail A and Trail B correspond to lower performance compared to <45.
ePairs Matching and Trail test scores were log transformed prior to analysis