@article {6460, title = {Racial/Ethnic Differences in Trajectories of Cognitive Function in Older Adults.}, journal = {J Aging Health}, volume = {28}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 Dec}, pages = {1382-1402}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to (a) examine racial/ethnic differences in trajectories of cognitive function and (b) evaluate the role of education and health behaviors (physical activity [PA] and smoking) as mediators of racial/ethnic differences in the rate of decline in cognitive function in older adults.

METHOD: Data for this study came from the Health and Retirement Study ( n = 3,424). Hierarchical linear models were used to define the trajectory of cognitive function between 2002 and 2008. Participants were classified based on PA as non-vigorously active, intermittent vigorously active, and consistently vigorously active.

RESULTS: After adding education, the Hispanic{\textquoteright}s and Black{\textquoteright}s disparities in cognitive performance were slightly attenuated (Hispanics, β = -1.049, p < .001; Blacks, β = -3.397, p < .001) but were still different from Whites. Smoking was not associated with the cognition intercept or rate of decline.

DISCUSSION: We found education had a partial mediating effect on racial differences in levels of cognition but not on the rate of change over time.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Black People, Cognition, Cognition Disorders, Female, Health Behavior, Hispanic or Latino, Humans, Male, White People}, issn = {1552-6887}, doi = {10.1177/0898264315620589}, url = {http://jah.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/12/29/0898264315620589.abstract}, author = {Elizabeth Vasquez and Anda Botoseneanu and Joan M. Bennett and Benjamin A Shaw} }