Public Health

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage is linked to poorer cognitive function.
• Previous studies were cross-sectional; prospective data is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine associations between mid-to-late life neighborhood deprivation and cognitive trajectories.
• To investigate the link between neighborhood disadvantage and dementia risk in older adults.

Main Methods:

• Used the Area Deprivation Index (ADI) to measure neighborhood disadvantage.
• Analyzed cognitive performance (word recall, serial sevens) and dementia classification from 1998-2020.
• Employed generalized linear mixed models and Cox proportional hazard models, adjusting for covariates.

Main Results:

• High neighborhood disadvantage was associated with worse baseline cognitive performance and faster decline in White/non-Hispanic and Black adults.
• Hispanic/Latino adults showed no significant impact on cognitive trajectories.
• Increased likelihood of cognitive impairment and probable dementia was observed in White/non-Hispanic adults residing in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Conclusions:

• Mid-to-late life neighborhood disadvantage impacts cognitive trajectories in White/non-Hispanic and Black older adults.
• Disadvantaged neighborhoods specifically increased dementia risk among White/non-Hispanic older adults.