An active lifestyle and cognitive function: Evidence from China

How does an active lifestyle at baseline relate to cognitive functioning in later periods? To answer this question, we draw unique panel data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). The analysis reveals that greater overall activity is associated with higher levels of memory and numeracy. The beneficial effects of being active vary across different activity types and aspects of cognition, but not so with respect to gender. Overall, these findings provide new empirical evidence on the relationship between an active lifestyle and cognitive functioning of older people in China.