The Journals of Gerontology Series B· 2014Q1
The Role of Early-Life Educational Quality and Literacy in Explaining Racial Disparities in Cognition in Late Life
- 279citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2014year
Short summary
Early-life educational quality and late-life literacy explained 26-32% of racial disparities in general cognitive functioning, memory, and executive function in older adults.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Early-life educational quality and late-life literacy explained a substantial portion of racial disparities in late-life cognitive function.
- These factors reduced disparities by 29% for general cognitive functioning, 26% for memory, and 32% for executive functioning.
- Educational quality was measured by percent white students, urban/rural school, and combined grades.
- Late-life literacy was assessed via reading comprehension, ability, and writing.
- These factors did not predict differences in the rate of cognitive change.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Racial disparities in late-life cognition persist even after accounting for educational attainment. We examined whether early-life educational quality and literacy in later life help explain these disparities. METHOD: We used longitudinal data from the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project (WHICAP). Educational quality (percent white students; urban/rural school; combined grades in classroom) was operationalized using canonical correlation analysis. Late-life literacy (reading comprehension and ability, writing) was operationalized using confirmatory factor analysis. We examined whether these factors attenuated race-related differences in late-life cognition. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 1,679 U.S.-born, non-Hispanic, community-living adults aged 65-102 (71% black, 29% white; 70% women). Accounting for educational quality and literacy reduced disparities by 29% for general cognitive functioning, 26% for memory, and 32% for executive functioning but did not predict differences in rate of cognitive change. DISCUSSION: Early-life educational quality and literacy in late life explain a substantial portion of race-related disparities in late-life cognitive function.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. The Journals of Gerontology Series B, 2014 · DOI ↗
Continue with a free account
Ask the paper: 3 free questions a day about this paper; save it, get its citation, new summaries every day for your field. Takeaways are Premium.
Continue free on the webSign in with Google or Apple; no card needed. You come back to this paper.
On your phone:
Field: Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology
Neuropsychology and Physiological PsychologyPsychology