Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
9-2018
Abstract
Background: The current study aimed to reconcile the inconsistentfindings between obesity, executive functions, and episodic memory byaddressing major limitations of previous studies, including overreliance onbody mass index (BMI), small sample sizes, and failure to control forconfounds.Methods: Participants consisted of 3,712 midlife adults from theCognitive Project of the National Survey of Midlife Development. Executivefunctions and episodic memory were measured by a battery of cognitive functiontests.Results: We found that higher waist-to-hip ratio was associated withdeficits in both executive functions and episodic memory, above and beyond theinfluence of demographics, comorbid health issues, health behaviors,personality traits, and self-perceived obesity. However, higher BMI was notassociated with deficits in executive functions and episodic memory. Moreimportantly, these differential associations were robust and stable acrossadulthood.Discussion: Our findings confirm the association between obesity andepisodic memory while highlighting the need for better measures of obesity whenexamining its associations with individual differences in cognitive functions.
Keywords
Body mass index, Executive functions, Waist-to-hip ratio, Episodic memory
Discipline
Cognition and Perception | Mental and Social Health | Psychology
Research Areas
Psychology
Publication
PeerJ
Volume
6
First Page
1
Last Page
20
ISSN
2167-8359
Identifier
10.7717/peerj.5624
Publisher
PeerJ
Citation
HARTANTO, Andree, & YONG, Jose C..(2018). Measurement matters: Higher waist-to-hip ratio but not body mass index is associated with deficits in executive functions and episodic memory. PeerJ, 6, 1-20.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/2732
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5624