Perceived Neighborhood Characteristics and Cognitive Functioning among Diverse Older Adults: An Intersectional Approach

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Author(s)Thierry, Amy D.
Author(s)Sherman-Wilkins, Kyler
Author(s)Armendariz, Marina
Author(s)Sullivan, Allison
Author(s)Farmer, Heather R.
Date Accessioned2023-12-05T16:19:14Z
Date Available2023-12-05T16:19:14Z
Publication Date2021-03-06
DescriptionThis article was originally published in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052661. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
AbstractUnfavorable neighborhood conditions are linked to health disparities. Yet, a dearth of literature examines how neighborhood characteristics contribute to cognitive health in diverse samples of older adults. The present study uses an intersectional approach to examine how race/ethnicity, gender, and education moderate the association between neighborhood perceptions and cognitive functioning in later life. We used data from adults ≥65 years old (n = 8023) in the 2010–2016 waves of the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study (HRS). We conducted race/ethnicity-stratified linear regression models where cognitive functioning, measured using the 35-point Telephone Interview Cognitive Screen (TICS), was regressed on three neighborhood characteristics—cleanliness, safety, and social cohesion. We examine whether there is heterogeneity within race/ethnicity by testing if and how the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and cognitive functioning differs by gender and education. Among White adults, worse neighborhood characteristics were associated with lower cognitive functioning among those with less education. However, for Black adults, poor perceived quality of one’s neighborhood was associated with worse cognitive functioning among those with more years of education compared to those with fewer years of education. Among Mexicans, perceived neighborhood uncleanliness was associated with lower cognitive functioning among those with less education, but higher cognitive functioning for those with higher levels of education. Thus, this study contributes to the literature on racial/ethnic disparities in cognitive aging disparities by examining neighborhood contextual factors as determinants of cognitive functioning. In particular, we find that higher education in the context of less favorable neighborhood environments does not confer the same benefits to cognitive functioning among all older adults.
SponsorThis research was funded by the National Institutes of Health, grant number 3U54MD007595-12S1.
CitationThierry, Amy D., Kyler Sherman-Wilkins, Marina Armendariz, Allison Sullivan, and Heather R. Farmer. 2021. "Perceived Neighborhood Characteristics and Cognitive Functioning among Diverse Older Adults: An Intersectional Approach" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 5: 2661. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052661
ISSN1660-4601
URLhttps://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/33652
Languageen_US
PublisherInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Keywordscognitive functioning
Keywordsneighborhoods
Keywordsintersectionality
Keywordsolder adults
Keywordshealth disparities
TitlePerceived Neighborhood Characteristics and Cognitive Functioning among Diverse Older Adults: An Intersectional Approach
TypeArticle
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