Public Health

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Neuroscience
• Sociology

Background:

• Acculturation significantly impacts health outcomes in immigrants, including older Asian Americans and Canadians (ASACs).
• Education is a known cognitive protective factor that may interact with acculturation to influence cognitive health.
• Understanding this interaction is crucial for addressing cognitive health disparities in aging immigrant communities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between acculturation and cognitive function in older ASACs.
• To investigate the interaction effect of acculturation and education on cognitive health in this population.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 622 dementia-free ASAC participants from the Asian Cohort for Alzheimer's Disease (ACAD).
• Acculturation score derived from nativity and English proficiency, categorized into separation, integration, and assimilation groups.
• Cognitive function assessed using the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI) and Common Objects Memory Test (COMT).
• Multivariable linear regressions analyzed associations and interactions between acculturation, education, and cognition.

Main Results:

• Higher acculturation scores were associated with better performance on the CASI (p=0.042).
• A significant negative interaction between education and acculturation was observed for both CASI and COMT (p<0.001 and p<0.01, respectively).
• The positive association of education with cognition was weaker in the integration and assimilation groups compared to the separation group.

Conclusions:

• Higher acculturation may compensate for the effects of lower education on cognitive function in older ASACs.
• Both education and acculturation levels should be considered when assessing cognitive health in aging immigrant populations.
• Further research should explore socioeconomic and contextual factors influencing acculturation, education, and cognitive health.