Trajectories of cognitive functioning in later life: Disparities by race/ethnicity, educational attainment, sex, and multimorbidity combinations

• DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2022.101084
• Publication Date: 2022-04-04T07:51:13Z
• Authors: Ana R. Quiñones; Siting Chen; Corey L. Nagel; Anda Botoseneanu; Heather G. Allore; Jason T. Newsom; Stephen Thielke; Jeffrey Kaye
• Keywords: Educational Attainment; Cognitive Decline; Cognitive test

Evaluating multimorbidity combinations, racial/ethnic background, educational attainment, and sex associations with age-related cognitive changes is critical to clarifying the health, sociodemographic, socioeconomic mechanisms associated function in later life. Data from 2011–2018 National Health Aging Trends Study for respondents aged 65 years older (N = 10,548, mean age 77.5) were analyzed using linear mixed effect models. Racial/ethnic differences (mutually-exclusive groups: non-Latino White, Black, Latino) trajectories significant interactions education (<high school, high some college, ≥ college degree) evaluated. Models included sex, education, ever covered by Medicaid, coupled status, waist-height ratio, study cohort, chronic disease category (no diseases; one disease; advanced cardiovascular multimorbidity; metabolic cardiovascular-metabolic neither nor multimorbidity). In covariate-adjusted models, Black (b −1.31, 95% CI: 1.74,-0.89) Latino −0.83, 1.58,-0.07) had lower scores at steeper declines −0.08, −0.15,-0.01; b −0.20, 0.34,-0.05, respectively) compared White respondents. Cognitive among −0.28, 0.54,-0.01) −0.56, 0.86,-0.27) none of diseases interest. interaction protective female higher not observed minority groups. It important develop interventions postpone decline adults.