Introduction
Few studies have examined the impacts of neighborhood SES and individual ethnicity
and SES characteristics on cognitive function in aging populations. Hispanics/Latinx
are more likely to have cognitive impairment and be community dwellers than non-Hispanic
Whites. Neighborhood factors can have greater impacts on the relationship between
Hispanics/Latinx and cognitive function. This study examines these relationships in
Nueces County, Texas.
Methods
A mixed-effects regression analysis of data from 1,140 older adults participating
in the Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi - Cognitive project from 2018 to
2020 was completed. Cognitive function was measured with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment,
a cognitive screening measure. Participant addresses were geocoded to obtain census
tracts, which were proxies for neighborhoods. Neighborhood SES was measured by household
median income, percentage of Hispanic/Latinx residents, and percentage of residents
aged ≥65 years with Medicaid, all from the American Community Survey. Interactions
were used to examine the impact of neighborhood SES on ethnicity and cognitive function.
Results
The sample consisted of 62.5% Hispanic/Latinx and 37.5% non-Hispanic White participants.
Results from the F-statistics, test of effects, indicate that being older (F4,1138=45.04; p<0.001), being a man (F1,1130=4.35; p<0.050), having low education (F3,1121=40.83; p<0.001), completing the Montreal Cognitive Assessment test in Spanish (F1,1140=15.35; p<0.001), and being Hispanic/Latinx (F1,962=20.84; p<0.001) were all associated with lower Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores. Neighborhood
income was positively associated (F1,69.6=6.95; p<0.050) with Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores. Neighborhood income (β=0.32; p<0.050) and percentage with Medicaid (β=0.06; p<0.050) independently moderated the associations between ethnicity and Montreal Cognitive
Assessment scores.
Conclusions
Findings suggest that neighborhood SES could further impact cognitive function independent
of individual characteristics. This could be attributed to minimal resources in communities
with lower SES, impacting policies and programs for older individuals, particularly
those with worse cognitive function.
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: June 09, 2022
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© 2022 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
