A new study has found that older adults who do homework may have sharper memory, attention span, better leg strength and greater protection against fall.
The findings of this study were published in the ‘BMJ Open’ open access journal.
This finding is independent of recreational physical activities and other regular workplaces, and active commuters.
Regular physical activity is good for maintaining optimal physical and mental health. And among older adults, he curbs the risk of long-term conditions, falls, immobility, dependence, and death.
But global monitoring data shows that in 2016, physical activity is far below the weekly level recommended and has fluttered in a decade, with people in high-income countries more than twice as likely to be potatoes in income countries low.
Given that domestic work involves physical activity and is an indicator of the ability to live independently, researchers want to explore whether doing housework may contribute to healthy aging and increase physical and mental capacity among richer adults in rich countries.
They included 489 randomly selected adults, aged between 21 and 90, with less than 5 fundamental conditions and no cognitive problems. All live independently in one large housing city in Singapore, and able to carry out routine daily tasks.
Participants were divided into two bands aged: 21-64 years (249; an average age of 44), classified as ‘younger’; and 65-90 years (240; an average age of 75), classified as ‘older.’
Walking speed (running style) and sitting speed from the chair (indication of foot strength and falling risk) is used to assess physical abilities. Dualded tests are used to assess mental agility (short and delayed memory, visuospatial abilities, language spans and attention) and physiological factors related to fall.
Participants were questioned about the intensity and frequency of household tasks that they did regularly, and how many other types of physical activities they did.
Lightweight homework including washing, cleaning, making beds, washing wash, ironing, tidying, and cooking. Heavy homework is defined as window cleaning, changing beds, sucking dust, washing floors, and activities such as painting / decoration.
The intensity of homework is measured in the form of metabolic tasks (mets). This is approximately equivalent to the amount of energy (calories) issued per minute physical activity. Light house work is assigned to be filled with 2.5; Heavy homework is assigned to be fulfilled 4.
Only about one third (36 percent; 90) of those who were young and only about half (48 percent; 116) from those aged in older age groups, fulfilling the quota of physical activity suggested from just recreational physical activity.
But almost two-thirds (61 percent, 152 younger; and 66 percent, 159 older) meet this target exclusively through homework.
After adjusting for other types of regular physical activities, the results show that homework is associated with sharper mental abilities and better physical capacity. But only among older age groups.
The cognitive score of each is 8 percent and 5 percent higher, on those who do high volume of light or heavy homework compared to those who are in a low volume group.
And the intensity of homework is associated with certain cognitive domains. In particular, heavy homework is associated with a 14 percent higher attention score while light housing work is associated with 12 percent and 8 percent of short memory scores and delayed, respectively.
Likewise, time scores and balances / balances / coordination are 8 percent and 23 percent faster, in high volume groups than in the low volume group.
