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Updated: Apr 26, 2026

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach
Published on: February 14, 2014
Life-course socio-economic disadvantage and late-life cognitive functioning in Taiwan: results from a national cohort
Chi Chiao1, Amanda Botticello2, Jong-Ling Fuh3
1Institute of Health and Welfare Policy, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan cchiao@ym.edu.tw.
Background:
Declines in late-life cognitive functioning differ greatly between socio-economic status (SES) groups, but little is known about whether these effects are related to child and adult SES versus SES effects that accumulate over the individual's life course.
Methods:
An 18-year longitudinal national sample of older adults from Taiwan (n=2944) was used to estimate the effect of socio-economic disadvantage over the individual's life course on cognitive functioning during late life. Cognitive functioning was assessed using the brief Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire scale. Life-course socio-economic disadvantage, as accrued during childhood and adulthood, included measures of paternal education and occupation and participant's education and occupation.
Results:
Multivariate analyses using various mixed-effects models showed that the effects of childhood SES could be largely explained by adult SES and that disadvantageous SES in adulthood further exacerbated declines in late-life cognitive functioning (β=-0.02; p<0.001), even controlling for aging, practice and other covariates. Possible factors that are associated with life-course socio-economic disadvantage and late-life cognitive decline included household income and perception of economic strain.
Conclusions:
The results suggest a critical role for life-course socio-economic disadvantage in late-life cognitive decline and that this may be manifested via the inequitable distribution of socio-economic resources over the individual's life course.
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