The Role of Early-Life Educational Quality and Literacy in Explaining Racial Disparities in Cognition in Late Life
We examined whether early-life educational quality and literacy in later life help explain these disparities.
Method.
We used longitudinal data from the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project (WHICAP). Educational quality (percent white students; urban/rural school; combined grades in classroom) was operationalized using canonical correlation analysis. Late-life literacy (reading comprehension and ability, writing) was operationalized using confirmatory factor analysis. We examined whether these factors attenuated race-related differences in late-life cognition.
Results.
The sample consisted of 1,679U.S.-born, non-Hispanic, community-living adults aged 65–102 (71% black, 29% white; 70% women). Accounting for educational quality and literacy reduced disparities by 29% for general cognitive functioning, 26% for memory, and 32% for executive functioning but did not predict differences in rate of cognitive change.
Discussion.
Early-life educational quality and literacy in late life explain a substantial portion of race-related disparities in late-life cognitive function.
Source: Journals of Gerontology: Series B Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences - Category: Geriatrics Authors: Sisco, S., Gross, A. L., Shih, R. A., Sachs, B. C., Glymour, M. M., Bangen, K. J., Benitez, A., Skinner, J., Schneider, B. C., Manly, J. J. Tags: Original Research Report Source Type: research
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