Structural Equation Modeling Analysis of the Effects of Social and Biological Factors on Geriatric Cognition: Does Sex Matter?

An existing large data set, the Health and Retirement Study 2000 (HRS 2000) was used to explore the relationship between cognition and other factors for individuals aged 65 and older, with a final sample of 1,610 males and 3,549 females. Using structural equation modeling, the entire model was tested to determine if there were differences in how well the model fit data from both men and women. The influences of direct and indirect contributing factors on cognition were also investigated. Although there were no significant gender differences in the fit of the model for data from this population, future research might study the relationship between cognitive decline and gender within specific age or cultural groups. (Contains 1 table, 3 figures, and 42 references.) (Author/SLD)