Can internet use reduce the incidence of cognitive impairment? Analysis of the EpiFloripa Aging Cohort Study (2009–2019)

This study aims to estimate the effect of internet use on the incidence of cognitive impairment in older adults. Data are from the EpiFloripa Aging Cohort Study which has been following a population-based sample of older adults (60+) residing in Florianópolis, southern Brazil, for ten years. The outcome was the incidence of cognitive decline in follow-up waves measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination using cutoff points according to education. The exposure was internet use according to wave (yes/no). We excluded individuals with cognitive impairment from Wave 1 (n = 453). We used a longitudinal analysis model (Generalized Estimating Equations) to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRR) with 95% confidence intervals. We estimated the risk of cognitive impairment in Wave 2 or Wave 3 according to internet use in the previous wave. The incidence of cognitive impairment was 13.4% in Wave 2 and 13.3% in Wave 3. Despite the aging of this cohort, the prevalence of internet users increased from 26.4% in Wave 1 to 32.8% in Wave 2 and 46.8% in Wave 3. The risk of cognitive impairment in Wave 2 or Wave 3 was 70% lower for older adults who used the internet in the previous wave, adjusted for sex, age, years of education, household income, and self-reported comorbidities (IRR = 0.30; 95% CI: 0.15–0.61; p = 0.001). Internet use was associated with a decline in the incidence of cognitive impairment among older adults living in the urban areas of southern Brazil after a period of ten years. •Internet use was associated with a decreased cognitive impairment incidence.•Smartphone is the most common device, and this use increased over 10 years.•The probability of an internet user becoming an internet non-user was 12%.