Operationalizing Social Environments in Cognitive Aging and Dementia Research: A Scoping Review

Rachel L. Peterson, Kristen M. George, Duyen Tran, Pallavi Malladi, Paola Gilsanz, Amy J. H. Kind, Rachel A. Whitmer, Lilah M. Besser and Oanh L. Meyer
Additional contact information
Rachel L. Peterson: Department of Neurology, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
Kristen M. George: Department of Neurology, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
Duyen Tran: Department of Psychology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Pallavi Malladi: Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Paola Gilsanz: Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, Oakland, CA 94612, USA
Amy J. H. Kind: Center for Health Disparities Research, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53726, USA
Rachel A. Whitmer: Public Health Sciences, Division of Epidemiology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Lilah M. Besser: Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
Oanh L. Meyer: Department of Neurology, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 13, 1-19

Abstract: Background: Social environments are a contributing determinant of health and disparities. This scoping review details how social environments have been operationalized in observational studies of cognitive aging and dementia. Methods: A systematic search in PubMed and Web of Science identified studies of social environment exposures and late-life cognition/dementia outcomes. Data were extracted on (1) study design; (2) population; (3) social environment(s); (4) cognitive outcome(s); (5) analytic approach; and (6) theorized causal pathways. Studies were organized using a 3-tiered social ecological model at interpersonal, community, or policy levels. Results: Of 7802 non-duplicated articles, 123 studies met inclusion criteria. Eighty-four studies were longitudinal (range 1–28 years) and 16 examined time-varying social environments. When sorted into social ecological levels, 91 studies examined the interpersonal level; 37 examined the community/neighborhood level; 3 examined policy level social environments; and 7 studies examined more than one level. Conclusions: Most studies of social environments and cognitive aging and dementia examined interpersonal factors measured at a single point in time. Few assessed time-varying social environmental factors or considered multiple social ecological levels. Future studies can help clarify opportunities for intervention by delineating if, when, and how social environments shape late-life cognitive aging and dementia outcomes.

Keywords: social ecological model; social context (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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