Accelerometer-Measured Sustained MVPA Is Related To Higher Decision-Making Competence Among Young Adults

Abstract

More competent decision makers report greater success in avoiding negative decision outcomes irrespective of general cognitive ability. While physically active young adults show more optimal executive functions, the relationship between daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) patterns and decision-making competence (DMC) remains under-examined. PURPOSE: In this study, we assessed the relationship between accelerometer-measured sporadic and sustained MVPA to DMC in young adults. METHODS: We analyzed pre-intervention data from 220 participants (115 (52%) females, Mage=24.3 ±5.4 yrs, BMI=24.4 ± 4.0 kg/m2) from the INSIGHT randomized controlled trial. MVPA was measured over 7 days with a hip-worn wGT3X-BT accelerometer. Valid wear time was defined as ≥4 days, ≥10 hrs/d. Daily (min/d), bouts of sporadic (<10 consecutive min) and sustained MVPA (≥10 consecutive min; frequency and min/d) were estimated using NHANES cut points. DMC was measured with the Adult-Decision Making Competence (A-DMC) battery and expressed as individual subtest scores and an A-DMC index (z-score). The relationships between MVPA and A-DMC variables were assessed with Spearman’s rho controlling for wear time, age, sex, education, intelligence, fat free VO2max, BMI and sedentary time (ST; <100 counts/min). RESULTS:After controlling for daily MVPA, frequency and time spent in sustained MVPA bouts were positively related to the ability to recognize social norms (ρs=[0.15; 0.16], Ps≤0.04) and ignore unrecoverable costs when considering future decision outcomes (ρs=[0.14; 0.15], Ps≤0.04). In contrast, neither sporadic nor daily MVPA were related to A-DMC subtests (Ps≤0.08). CONCLUSION: The quality of decision making varied primarily as a function of sustained MVPA. Young adults who engaged in more sustained MVPA were able to use their experience more effectively and make more rational choices to optimize decision outcomes. Our data reveal a novel relationship between MVPA patterns and a distinct set of higher order cognitive skills which are relevant to real-world decisions. Funding: Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA); Contract 2014-13121700004