Daily activity patterns and the association between widowhood and cognitive function in older adults: evidence from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey

Widowhood is a major life-course transition in later life and has been associated with cognitive health. However, less is known about whether the association between widowhood and cognitive function differs across older adults' daily activity patterns. Using data from three waves (2008, 2011, and 2014) of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), this study included 4,427 married or widowed adults aged 60 years and older. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify daily activity patterns based on eight daily activities. Multinomial logistic regression examined the association between marital status and activity pattern membership, and linear mixed-effects models (LMMs) assessed whether the association between marital status and cognitive function differed across activity patterns. Cognitive function was measured using the total score of the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-R). Four daily activity patterns were identified: Manual-Media Mixed Type, Low-engagement Passive Type, Domestic-Agricultural Active Type, and TV-dominant Sedentary Type. Compared with married older adults, widowed older adults were more likely to belong to the Low-engagement Passive Type and TV-dominant Sedentary Type. The association between marital status and cognitive function differed significantly across activity patterns. Widowhood-related lower cognitive function was mainly observed in the Low-engagement Passive Type and TV-dominant Sedentary Type, whereas no significant widowhood-related cognitive disadvantage was observed in the Domestic-Agricultural Active Type. In the Manual-Media Mixed Type, widowed older adults showed slightly higher adjusted cognitive function scores than married older adults. Overall, these findings suggest that the association between widowhood and cognitive function is context-dependent and varies across daily activity patterns, highlighting the importance of considering older adults' broader daily activity structures when understanding cognitive health in later life.