Mental Work Demands Protect Against Cognitive Impairment: MAAS Prospective Cohort Study

Little is known about whether persons with mentally demanding jobs are protected against cognitive impairment and whether this association is independent of intellectual abilities and other confounders. Longitudinal data from the Maastricht Aging Study (MAAS) were used to examine this association. A...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Experimental aging research 2003-01, Vol.29 (1), p.33-45
Main Authors: Bosma, Hans, van Boxtel, Martin P. J., Ponds, Rudolf W. H. M., Houx, Peter J., Burdorf, Alex, Jolles, Jelle
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult. Elderly
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging - psychology
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition Disorders - prevention & control
Cohort Studies
Developmental psychology
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Middle Aged
Odds Ratio
Prospective Studies
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Thinking
Work
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Summary:Little is known about whether persons with mentally demanding jobs are protected against cognitive impairment and whether this association is independent of intellectual abilities and other confounders. Longitudinal data from the Maastricht Aging Study (MAAS) were used to examine this association. After the 1993-1995 baseline examination, there was a first 3-year follow-up examination (1996-1998) among 630 men and women, aged 50 to 80, who exhibited no cognitive impairment at baseline. Persons with mentally demanding jobs had lower risks of developing cognitive impairment during follow-up (36 cases), compared with persons without such jobs (odds ratio = 0.79; 95% confidence interval: 0.65-0.96). About 1.5% of the persons with high mental work demands developed impairment compared to 4% of the persons with few work demands. The protective effect was independent of intellectual abilities and other confounders. Our findings provide evidence that continued and potentially modifiable mental stimulation during adult life may protect men and women against cognitive impairment.
ISSN:0361-073X
1096-4657
DOI:10.1080/03610730303710