Journal Article

Association of life course socioeconomic status and adult height with cognitive functioning of older adults in India and China

Arokiasamy, P., Selvamani, Y.

2021

Overview

Background Cognitive functioning is an important measure of intrinsic capacity. In this study, we examine the association of life course socioeconomic status (SES) and height with cognitive functioning among older adults (50+) in India and China. The age pattern of cognitive functioning with measures of life course socioeconomic status has also been examined. Methods Cross-sectional comparative analysis was conducted using the WHO’s Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) data for India and China. Multilevel mixed-effect linear regression analysis was used to examine the association of life course socioeconomic status and adult height with cognitive functioning. Results In both India and China, parental education as a measure of childhood socioeconomic status was positively associated with cognitive functioning. The association between adult socioeconomic status and cognitive functioning was positive and significant. Height was significantly and positively associated with improved cognitive functioning of older adults in India and China. Furthermore, the age-related decline in cognitive functioning score was higher among older adults whose parents had no schooling, particularly in China. The cognitive functioning score with age was much lower among less-educated older adults than those with higher levels of education in China. Wealthier older adults in India had higher cognitive functioning in middle ages, however, wealth differences narrowed with age. Conclusions The results of this study suggest a significant association of lifetime socioeconomic status and cumulative net nutrition on later-life cognitive functioning in middle-income settings.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Activities of daily living / Adults / Aged / Ageing / Aging / Body height / Childhood socioeconomic status / Children / China - epidemiology / Cognition / Cognition & reasoning / Cognition in old age / Cognitive ability / Comparative analysis / Cross-Sectional Studies / Dementia / Demographic aspects / Education / Educational attainment / Geriatrics / Geriatrics/Gerontology / Health aspects / Humans / India - epidemiology / Informal economy / Intrinsic capacity / Life expectancy / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Neurology / Nutrition / Older people / Population / Principal components analysis / Psychological aspects / Public sector / Quality of life / Rehabilitation / Research Article / Self employment / Social Class / Social classes / Socioeconomic Factors / Socioeconomic status / Statistics / Stature / stroke and cognition / Variables / WHO-SAGE