Abstract
Little is known about whether physical activity and fitness could enhance cognition in adolescents and young adults living with HIV. The purpose of this study was to examine this relationship in a group of 250 HIV+ (n = 88) and HIV negative (n = 162) participants from Botswana, aged 12–23 years (Mean = 17.87, SD = 2.24). Fitness was operationalized as muscular strength (push-ups) and aerobic endurance (PACER). PA was assessed using items from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey. Cognition was measured using the Corsi Test, Berg Card Sorting Task (BCST), and Stroop Color Word Task (Stroop). Multiple regression analyses indicated that the HIV x push-ups interaction was a significant predictor of Corsi performance, and HIV status was a significant predictor of BCST performance (p < 0.05). For the Stroop portions, HIV status and HIV x push-ups were significant predictors (p < 0.01). HIV status is predictive of cognition and interacts with muscular fitness to predict cognition.
Highlights
An estimated 36.9 million people were living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) throughout the world and 1.8 million people became newly infected in 20171
In the final significant model, sex (β = 1.13, CI95%: 0.26–2.00, p = 0.012), HIV status (β = −0.74, CI95%: −1.43 to −0.05, p = 0.036), and push-ups (β = 0.043, CI95%: 0.01–0.07, p = 0.008) were significant predictors
This cross-sectional study is among the first to examine the relationship between HIV status, physical activity (PA), fitness, and cognition in adolescents and young adults
Summary
An estimated 36.9 million people were living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) throughout the world and 1.8 million people became newly infected in 20171. The increase in availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has resulted in a significant decline in mortality among HIV+ individuals[3]. Despite this success, HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) are prevalent[4,5,6]. Have been conducted to examine the relationships between PA, fitness, and cognition among adolescents and young adults relative to HIV status. If adolescent and young adult living with HIV face an increased risk for early decrement in cognitive performance, early interventions may attenuate HIV-associated decline in cognitive functioning. The main purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between self-reported PA behaviors, fitness level, and cognitive functioning in an HIV+ population of young adults and adolescents in Botswana. HIV+ participants who take part in more PA behaviors and have greater levels of fitness would exhibit greater cognitive functioning in comparison to HIV+ participants who are less active or have lower levels of fitness
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