Full Citation
Title: Age Patterns in Self-Reported Cognitive Impairment Among Older Latino Subgroups and Non-Latino Whites in the United States, 1997-2018: Implications for Public Health Policy
Citation Type: Journal Article
Publication Year: 2021
ISBN:
ISSN: 2399-5300
DOI: 10.1093/GERONI/IGAB039
NSFID:
PMCID:
PMID: 34917774
Abstract: Background and objectives: U.S. Latinos are a heterogeneous population with unique characteristics related to individual-level socioeconomic and contextual factors based on nativity status and country of origin. Population aging and greater public awareness of dementia may contribute to an increasing prevalence of self-reported cognitive impairment. However, population-level trends in self-reported cognitive impairment among Latinos are unclear and it is unknown whether there are differences among Latino subgroups. Thus, this study aims to examine heterogeneity in self-reported cognitive impairment among older U.S. Latino subgroups. Research design and methods: We used data from the 1997-2018 National Health Interview Survey to document age-specific patterns in self-reported cognitive impairment among U.S.-born Mexican, foreign-born Mexican, island-born Puerto Rican, foreign-born Cuban, and U.S.-born non-Latino Whites aged 60 and older. We estimated hierarchical age-period-cohort cross-classified random effects models (HAPC-CCREM) to isolate age patterns in self-reported cognitive impairment across disaggregated Latino subgroups and U.S.-born non-Latino Whites. Results: The overall prevalence of self-reported cognitive impairment increased from 6.0% in 1997 to 7.1% in 2018. This increase was evident among U.S.-born non-Latino Whites and U.S.-born and foreign-born Mexicans but not other Latino subgroups. Fully adjusted HAPC-CCREM estimates indicated that Latinos were more likely to self-report cognitive impairment than U.S-born non-Latino Whites (b = 0.371, p < .001). When disaggregated by Latino subgroup, the difference in the likelihood for self-reported cognitive impairment compared to U.S.-born non-Latino Whites was greatest for island-born Puerto Ricans (b = 0.598, p < .001) and smallest for foreign-born Cubans (b = 0.131, p > .05). Discussion and implications: We found evidence of considerable heterogeneity in the age patterns of self-reported cognitive impairment among U.S. Latino subgroups. We also detected large differences in the likelihood for self-reported cognitive impairment between U.S. Latino subgroups compared to U.S.-born non-Latino Whites. These results underscore the importance of differentiating between unique Latino subpopulations when studying population-level trends in cognitive function.
Url: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34917774/
User Submitted?: No
Authors: Garcia, Marc A; Warner, David F; García, Catherine; Downer, Brian; Raji, Mukaila
Periodical (Full): Innovation in aging
Issue: 4
Volume: 5
Pages: 1-15
Data Collections: IPUMS Health Surveys - NHIS
Topics: Aging and Retirement, Health, Race and Ethnicity
Countries: