Aging Audiences: Association of Live Performance Attendance and Cognitive Decline in a Biracial Sample

Objectives: To examine if attendance in live performances was associated with change in cognition among African Americans (AAs) and European Americans (EAs). Method: The study consisted of 5,567 older adults with at least follow-up interview and analyzed using a linear mixed effects regression model adjusting for demographic and health variables. Results: We found that frequent performance attendance was associated with slower decline in composite cognitive function among older AAs and EAs. Attending 10 or more performances per year was associated with 23% slower cognitive decline among AAs and 31% slower cognitive decline among EAs compared with those who never attend any performance. However, this difference was not significant (p = .56). Attending live performances was also associated with slower decline in individual tests of perceptual speed, episodic memory, and mini-mental state exam (MMSE). Discussion: Our findings suggest that live performances form a valuable component of arts engagement and should be encouraged for potential cognitive benefits.