Abstract
Objective: To discuss the intriguing connection between physical exercise and cognitive abilities in both genders.
Study design: It is a cross sectional study.
Place and duration of study: A Six-month study was carried out in Zohra Institute Health sciences, Rawalpindi. (from March 2022 to September 2022)
Material and Methods: A sample size of 382 participants was selected in accordance with inclusion criteria the subjects selected were aged between 18-40 years with graduation. The subjects with injury, neurological deficit and co-morbid condition were excluded. Self- administered questionnaires2,3,4 were added to this study using the IPAQ, MOCA, and MMSE. IPAQ-SF aided in identifying the differences between physically active and inactive individuals. MOCA and MMSE were used to identify the level of Cognition.5
Results: A total of 382 (mean 29.19) healthy young adult participants were selected within the age limit of 18 to 40 years (52.1% male and 47.9% female). IPAQ was used to initially screen out physically active and inactive individuals. The frequency of low grade physically active individuals was 40 (10.5%), for moderately active individuals it was 54(14.1%) and 288(75.4%) individuals were deemed to be highly active. A cut-off score of 26 used to identify cognitive function for MOCA and MMSE questionnaires. According to MOCA 249 (19.6%) individuals had normal cognition, 58(15.2%) individuals had moderate cognition and 75(65.2%) individuals had low cognition. The results obtained from MMSE showed that 234(61.3%) individuals had no cognitive decline, 120 (31.4%) individuals had mild cognitive impairment and 28(7.3%) individuals had severe cognitive impairment. The correlation between IPAQ and MOCA depicted highly significant results whereas the correlation (0.000) between IPAQ and MMSE is less significant (>0.005)
Conclusion: This study found that people who engage in physical activity have normal levels of cognition and quick thinking abilities, whereas inactive individuals have a decline in cognitive functioning and delay response to challenges.
Keywords: Mini Mental state examination, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, International Physical Activity Questionnaire short form , Cognition, Physically Active, Physically Inactive, Exercise
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