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Socioeconomic and contextual differentials in memory decline: a cross-country investigation between England and China
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-10, 06:03 authored by Dorina CadarDorina Cadar, Laura Brocklebank, Li Yan, Yaohui Zhao, Andrew SteptoeObjectives Although cognitive functioning is strongly associated with biological changes in the brain during the aging process, very little is known about the role of sociocultural differentials between the western and eastern parts of the world. We examined the associations between individual socioeconomic markers (e.g., education, household wealth) and contextual levels characteristics (e.g., urbanicity) with memory performance and memory decline over up to 8 years of follow-up in England and China. Methods The analytical samples included participants aged 50+ from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (n = 6,687) and the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (n = 10,252). Mixed linear models were employed to examine the association between baseline individual socioeconomic markers (education, wealth) and contextual-level characteristics (urbanicity) on the change in memory over time. Results Our analyses showed that higher education and wealth were associated with better baseline memory in both England and China. Still, the impact of contextual-level characteristics such as urbanicity differed between the 2 countries. For English individuals, living in a rural area showed an advantage in memory, while the opposite pattern was observed in China. Memory decline appeared to be socioeconomically patterned by higher education, wealth, and urbanicity in China but not in England. Discussion Our findings highlight substantial socioeconomic and contextual inequity in memory performance in both England and China, as well as in the rate of memory decline primarily in China. Public health strategies for preventing memory decline should target the socioeconomic gaps at the individual and contextual levels to protect those particularly disadvantaged.
History
Publication status
- Published
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- Published version
Journal
The Journals of Gerontology: Series BISSN
1079-5014Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)External DOI
Page range
gbac163 1-12Event location
United StatesDepartment affiliated with
- BSMS Neuroscience Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2023-01-24First Open Access (FOA) Date
2023-01-24First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2023-01-24Usage metrics
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