Relationship between Residential Segregation, Later-Life Cognition, and Incident Dementia across Race/Ethnicity

Daniel J. Pohl, Dominika Seblova, Justina F. Avila, Karen A. Dorsman, Erin R. Kulick, Joan A. Casey and Jennifer Manly
Additional contact information
Daniel J. Pohl: Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
Dominika Seblova: Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
Justina F. Avila: Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
Karen A. Dorsman: Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75235, USA
Erin R. Kulick: Department of Neurology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
Joan A. Casey: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10031, USA
Jennifer Manly: Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-16

Abstract: Systemic racism leads to racial/ethnic residential segregation, which can result in health inequities. We examined if the associations between residential segregation and later-life cognition and dementia differed based on segregation measure and by participant race/ethnicity. Tests of memory ( n = 4616), language ( n = 4333), visuospatial abilities ( n = 4557), and incident dementia ( n = 4556) were analyzed in older residents of Northern Manhattan, New York (mean age: 75.7 years). Segregation was measured at the block group-level using three indices: dissimilarity, isolation, and interaction. We fit multilevel linear or Cox proportional hazards models and included a race/ethnicity × segregation term to test for differential associations, adjusting for socioeconomic and health factors. Living in block groups with higher proportions of minoritized people was associated with ?0.05 SD lower language scores. Living in block groups with higher potential contact between racial/ethnic groups was associated with 0.06–0.1 SD higher language scores. The findings were less pronounced for other cognitive domains and for incident dementia. Non-Hispanic Black adults were most likely to experience negative effects of neighborhood segregation on cognition (language and memory) and dementia. All indices partly capture downstream effects of structural racism (i.e., unequal distributions of wealth/resources) on cognition. Therefore, desegregation and equitable access to resources have the potential to improve later-life cognitive health.

Keywords: racial/ethnic residential segregation; health inequity; cognition; structural racism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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