Title: Screen Time and Dementia in Socially Inactive Older Adults: A UK Biobank Prospective Cohort Study
Stream: Aging and Gerontology
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Authors:
Junxin Li, Johns Hopkins University, United States
Jiaying Li, Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
Abstract:
Socially inactive older adults often spend long hours on screens, yet the cognitive impact of this behavior is uncertain. Using UK Biobank data, we examined dose–response relations between daily screen time and incident dementia. We followed 89,671 dementia-free participants (mean age 61.8 years; 47 % men) who reported no regular social or leisure activities at baseline for a median of 12.2 years. Self-reported television viewing and non-work computer use were related to all-cause and subtype dementia with sequentially adjusted Cox models; restricted cubic splines captured non-linear patterns, and multiple sensitivity analyses assessed robustness. During follow-up, 2,282 participants developed dementia (945 Alzheimer’s, 540 vascular, 75 frontotemporal). Computer use displayed a J-shaped curve: ≤2.4 h/day was linked to lower all-cause risk (HR 0.88, 95 % CI 0.82–0.94), whereas > 2.4 h/day was linked to higher risk (HR 1.19, 1.05–1.34). Similar thresholds appeared for Alzheimer’s (≤2.4 h/day: HR 0.82; > 2.4 h/day: HR 1.31) and vascular dementia (≤2.2 h/day: HR 0.80; > 2.2 h/day: HR 1.40, 1.03-1.32). Television viewing showed no association below 2.1 h/day but was associated with higher all-cause risk above this level (HR 1.17, 1.03-1.32). High computer time doubled dementia risk in APOE ε4 homozygotes, and high television time raised risk in adults > 65 years. Sensitivity analyses confirmed all patterns. Thus, among socially disengaged older adults, moderate computer use may be neuroprotective, whereas excessive computer or television viewing may elevate dementia risk, identifying screen-time thresholds that warrant testing in intervention trials.
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