The Impact of Later-Life Learning on Trajectories of Cognitive Function among U.S. Older Adults

Background and Objectives
Low education in early-life is a major risk factor for dementia. However, little is known about how education in later life is related to cognitive function in older adults. We assessed whether later-life learning was associated with better cognitive function over time and whether the associations differed by sex, race/ethnicity, and prior education.

Research Design and Methods
We used data from the 2008-2018 Health and Retirement Study, included participants aged 65+ without baseline dementia and followed for up to 6 years. Global cognition was measured using a summary score. Later-life learning was measured at every wave as at least once a month or more, not in the last month, or never.

Results
Of 12,099 participants, 10.2% attended an educational or training course “at least once a month or more,” 45.5% reported “not in the last month,” and 43.3% reported “never” at each wave of the study. Results from adjusted mixed-effects models showed that engaging in any later-life learning, either at least once a month (0.56 points higher, 95% CI, 0.40 to 0.73) or not in the last month (0.55 points higher, 95% CI, 0.45 to 0.65) was associated with better cognitive function compared to never engaging in these activities. The association remained consistent as people aged. The benefits of later-life learning on cognitive function were greater in women than in men—at least once a month vs. never was 0.30 points greater in women than men (95% CI -0.03 to 0.63, p=.0760); not in the last month vs. never was 0.24 points greater in women than men (95% CI, 0.04 to 0.43, p=.016). There were no significant differences by race/ethnicity or prior education.

Discussion and Implications
Later-life learning was associated with better cognitive function over time. These findings underscore the importance of continued learning among older adults.