Table 2 Comparisons between incense users and non-users.

From: Indoor incense burning impacts cognitive functions and brain functional connectivity in community older adults

 

Non-users

Users

p

 

Missing data (%)

N

359

156

   

Demographic characteristics

   Age in years

70.7 ± 4.4

71.8 ± 4.8

0.009

 

0

   Female, n (%)

63.5

66

0.584

 

0

   Education in years

8.9 ± 4.8

6.2 ± 4.4

<0.001

 

0

Vascular risk factors

   Hypertension, n (%)

151 (42.1)

49 (31.4)

0.023

 

0

   Hyperlipidemia, n (%)

243 (67.7)

101 (64.7)

0.514

 

0

   Diabetes mellitus, n (%)

282 (78.6)

115 (73.7)

0.230

 

0

   Current Smoking, n (%)

9 (2.5)

7 (4.5)

0.234

 

0

   Current Alcohol drinking n (%)

57 (15.9)

22 (14.1)

0.608

 

0

Cognitive Performance at baseline

Global Cognition

  

Cohen’s d

  

   MoCA Total

23.6 ± 3.4

21.2 ± 4.2

<0.001

0.63

0

Executive Functions

   MoCA Executive Domain

3.0 ± 1.2

2.4 ± 1.2

0.013

0.50

0

   CTT1*

65.2 ± 25.3

80.4 ± 38.1

0.158

0.47

1

   CTT2*

127.6 ± 41.1

151.6 ± 65.3

0.102

0.45

4

   SDMT

32.3 ± 10.5

25.9 ± 11.5

0.025

0.58

0

   Verbal Fluency

16.3 ± 4.3

14.5 ± 4.1

0.024

0.43

0

Language

   MoCA Language Domain

4.6 ± 0.7

4.3 ± 0.9

0.073

0.38

0

   mBNT*

14.1 ± 1.3

13.8 ± 1.5

0.879

0.21

0

Visuospatial functions

   MoCA Visuospatial Domain

3.2 ± 0.9

2.7 ± 1.1

0.012

0.50

0

   RCFT Copy*

26.1 ± 7.4

23.0 ± 10.2

0.230

0.35

38

Attention

   MoCA Attention Domain

3.6 ± 0.7

3.5 ± 0.8

0.375

0.13

0

Memory

   MoCA Memory Domain

9.2 ± 1.8

8.4 ± 1.7

0.009

0.64

0

   HKLLT Learning*

21.8 ± 6.6

19.5 ± 6.3

0.557

0.36

0

   HKLLT 30-min delayed recall*

6.7 ± 3.3

5.6 ± 3.2

0.272

0.36

0

   HKLLT 30-min delayed recognition*

13.4 ± 2.1

12.8 ± 2.8

0.955

0.25

0

   RCFT 30-min delayed recall*

11.3 ± 6.3

7.2 ± 6.1

0.003

0.66

1

Cognitive Performance at year 3

   MoCA Total score

23.2 ± 4.0

20.8 ± 4.5

0.006

0.57

0

   MoCA Executive Domain

3.1 ± 1.2

2.8 ± 1.2

0.510

0.29

0

   MoCA Language Domain

4.5 ± 0.7

4.4 ± 0.9

0.672

0.11

0

   MoCA Visuospatial Domain

3.1 ± 0.9

2.6 ± 1.1

0.013

0.50

0

   MoCA Attention Domain

3.5 ± 0.7

3.4 ± 0.9

0.954

0.13

0

   MoCA Memory Domain

9.0 ± 2.1

7.7 ± 2.0

<0.001

0.63

0

Structural imaging measures

All participants

   MTLA rating

0.9 ± 0.8

1.0 ± 0.9

0.828

 

0

   Lacunar infarcts number

0.8 ± 1.7

1.1 ± 2.6

0.999

 

0

   WMH volume (mm3)

5.6 ± 6.4

6.2 ± 7.2

0.952

 

2

Age and education matched groups; n = 200

   MTLA rating

0.9 ± 0.7

1.0 ± 1.0

0.428

 

0

   Lacunar infarcts number

0.8 ± 1.8

0.9 ± 1.6

0.893

 

0

   WMH volume (mm3)

6.0 ± 6.0

6.1 ± 6.8

0.889

 

1

Functional imaging measures

Functional Connectivity of Default Mode Network (seeds −7,−43,33); values in brain regions with significant difference (Fisher’s r-to-z transformed value) shown

   Middle Temporal Gyrus (R)

0.2 ± 0.2

0.1 ± 0.2

<0.001

 

0

   Medial Frontal Gyrus

0.3 ± 0.2

0.2 ± 0.2

<0.001

 

0

   Precuneus

0.7 ± 0.2

0.5 ± 0.2

<0.001

 

0

   Angular (L)

0.6 ± 0.2

0.4 ± 0.2

<0.001

 

0

Yearly averaged level (in µg/m3) of outdoor air pollutants at reported residential address in health record

   Fine Suspended Particulates

30.2 ± 3.6

30.0 ± 2.7

0.571

 

0

   Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)

58.9 ± 9.6

60.1 ± 9.8

0.223

 

0

   Ozone (O3)

36.6 ± 7.5

35.8 ± 7.5

0.271

 

0

   Sulphur Dioxide (SO2)

12.3 ± 3.2

13.1 ± 3.2

0.012

 

0

   Nitrogen Oxides (NO)

107.2 ± 23.5

111.1 ± 23.8

0.103

 

14

   Respirable Suspended Particulates

44.3 ± 4.2

44.3 ± 3.1

0.978

 

0

  1. Abbreviations: mBNT = modified Boston Naming Test; CTT = Colour Trails Test; HKLLT = Hong Kong List Learning Test; MoCA = Montreal Cognitive Assessment; MTLA = Medial Temporal Lobe Atrophy Rating (Schelten’s Scale); NO = Nitrogen Oxides; NO2 = Nitrogen Dioxide; O3 = Ozone; RCFT = Rey Complex Figure Test; SDMT = Symbol Digit Modalities Test; SO2 = Sulphur Dioxide; WMH = White Matter Hyperintensities.
  2. Notes: Values are presented as mean ± standard deviation or % as appropriate.
  3. Cognitive scores are compared using analysis of covariance adjusted for age, education year, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, current smoking, current alcohol drinking and yearly average levels of fine suspended particulates, nitrogen dioxide, ozone and sulphur dioxide collected from the general regional air quality data (AQD) published by Department of Environment Protection of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
  4. *Administered as part of a detailed neuropsychology assessment in a subset of participants (n = 227).