Associations Between Immigration-Related Factors and Cognition Among Hispanics, the HABS-HD Study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Gerontology
• Public Health

Background:

• Hispanic populations face unique challenges in cognitive aging.
• Understanding immigration's role in cognitive health is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how immigration-related factors influence mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia in Hispanics.
• To examine the association between immigration factors and cognitive performance in cognitively unimpaired Hispanics.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 1231 Hispanic participants in the Health & Aging Brain Study-Health Disparities.
• Assessed six immigration factors: time in US, nativity, age of migration, language, bilingualism, and acculturation.
• Employed logistic, multinomial logistic, and linear regression models, adjusting for age, sex, and education.

Main Results:

• Foreign-born Hispanics showed lower global cognition than native-born counterparts, though overall cognitive impairment risk was similar.
• Early-life immigrants showed a link between time in the US and cognitive impairment.
• Higher acculturation correlated with lower dementia/MCI odds in native-born Hispanics, but not foreign-born.
• Bilingualism was linked to dementia/MCI in foreign-born individuals, who also had lower MMSE scores if monolingual.

Conclusions:

• Foreign-born Hispanics may be more susceptible to cognitive aging.
• Bilingualism appears more critical for cognitive health in foreign-born Hispanics.
• Acculturation exerts different effects on cognitive health in foreign-born versus native-born Hispanics.