Key result
Lower systolic and pulse pressures are linked to worse everyday problem solving in older women.
Observational
OBJECTIVES: Blood pressure is an indicator of vascular health that has been associated with cognition and quality of life in older age. Few studies have examined blood pressure across everyday cognitive tasks, which may have superior predictive functional utility than traditional cognitive measures. We explored blood pressure as a predictor of everyday problem solving (EPS) performance in middle-aged and older women. METHOD: Community-dwelling women (age: 51-91) with low-normal blood pressure to mild hypertension underwent traditional and everyday cognitive testing. EPS was determined by the number of safe/effective solutions generated for real-world scenarios. RESULTS: Analyses revealed that lower systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure were associated with worse EPS ability after controlling for age, education, and traditional cognitive abilities. DISCUSSION: These results support that blood pressure may be an important predictor of everyday cognitive abilities in older age. Potential implications for real-world functioning are discussed.
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Yeung et al. (2011) conducted an observational in Low-normal blood pressure to mild hypertension. Blood pressure (systolic and pulse pressure) was evaluated on Everyday problem solving (EPS) performance. Lower systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure were associated with worse everyday problem solving ability in middle-aged and older women.
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