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Published on: January 24, 2020
Are Changes in Self-Rated Health Associated With Memory Decline in Older Adults?
Rebecca Bendayan1, Andrea M Piccinin2, Scott M Hofer2
11 MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at UCL, University College London, London, UK.
Objective:
The association between patterns of change in self-rated health (SRH) and memory trajectories in older adults was examined using a systematic approach.
Method:
Data from the Health and Retirement Study ( n = 6,016) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing ( n = 734) were analyzed. Individuals were grouped into five categories according to their pattern of change in SRH over 8 years: stable excellent/very good/good, stable fair/poor, improvement, decline, and fluctuating pattern without a trend. Memory was measured using immediate and delayed recall tests. Kruskal-Wallis, chi-squares tests, and linear mixed models were used to examine the association.
Results:
Different rates of decline in memory can be identified in the different patterns of change in SRH. Those who had a stable excellent/very good/good pattern had the slowest rate of decline.
Discussion:
Our findings suggest that SRH status and patterns of change could be used as a marker of cognitive decline in prevention screening programs.
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