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Job sector and occupational complexity influence on late-life cognitive function among men.
Emma Aguila1, Silvia Mejia-Arango2
1Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States.
The Gerontologist
|October 24, 2025
Summary
Occupational complexity and cognitive engagement benefit cognitive health in older adults. Informal sector work shows a stronger association with cognitive health, highlighting its importance for aging populations globally.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Cognitive Science
- Sociology of Work
Background:
- Aging populations in low- and middle-income countries face economic disadvantages and rising Alzheimer's disease rates.
- Understanding cognitive aging in disadvantaged populations is crucial.
- The impact of socioeconomic factors on cognitive health requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the effects of education, occupational complexity, and cognitive engagement on late-life cognitive performance.
- To investigate how these factors vary between formal and informal economic sectors.
- To understand the role of informal sector work in cognitive aging.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of the 2012 Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS) data.
- Integration with O*NET and social security administrative data.
- Construction of a lifetime occupational complexity index for older males with normal cognitive function.
Main Results:
- Formal sector workers reported higher education, occupational complexity, and cognitive engagement than informal sector workers.
- Education, occupational complexity, and cognitive engagement were linked to better late-life cognitive health in both sectors.
- Occupational complexity demonstrated a stronger association with cognitive health in the informal sector.
Conclusions:
- Informal sector work plays a significant role in shaping late-life cognitive health.
- Occupation is a key factor influencing cognitive health outcomes.
- Findings are relevant for developing nations, ethnic minorities, and the gig economy.
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