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Generation and age of immigration on later life cognitive performance in KHANDLE

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 December 2020

Oanh L. Meyer ,
Chloe W. Eng ,
Michelle J. Ko ,
Michelle L. Chan ,
Uyen Ngo ,
Paola Gilsanz ,
M. Maria Glymour ,
Elizabeth Rose Mayeda ,
Dan M. Mungas  and
Rachel A. Whitmer
Oanh L. Meyer*
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, CA, USA
Chloe W. Eng
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, USA
Michelle J. Ko
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
Michelle L. Chan
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, CA, USA
Uyen Ngo
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, CA, USA
Paola Gilsanz
Affiliation:
Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, USA
M. Maria Glymour
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
Elizabeth Rose Mayeda
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology, University of California Los Angeles, Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Dan M. Mungas
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, CA, USA
Rachel A. Whitmer
Affiliation:
Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, USA Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Oanh L. Meyer, Department of Neurology, University of California Davis Health, 4860 Y St., Sacramento, CA 95817, USA. Phone: +1 916 734 5218. Email: olmeyer@ucdavis.edu.
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Abstract

Objectives:

We examined the association of generational status and age at immigration with later life cognitive outcomes in a diverse sample of Latinos and Asian Americans.

Design:

Baseline data were obtained from the Kaiser Healthy Aging and Diverse Life Experiences (KHANDLE) study, and a prospective cohort is initiated in 2017.

Setting:

Older adults in Northern California.

Participants:

Our cohort consisted of Asians (n = 411) and Latinos (n = 340) who were on average 76 years old (SD = 6.8).

Measurements:

We used multivariable linear regression models to estimate associations between generational status and age at immigration (collapsed into one five-level variable) with measures of verbal episodic memory, semantic memory, and executive function, adjusting for age, gender, race and ethnicity, and own- and parental education.

Results:

Generational status and age at immigration were associated with cognitive outcomes in a graded manner. Compared to third-generation or higher immigrants, first-generation immigration in adulthood was associated with lower semantic memory (β = −0.96; 95% CI: −1.12, −0.81) than immigration in adolescence (β = −0.68; 95% CI: −0.96, −0.41) or childhood (β = −0.28; 95% CI: −0.49, −0.06). Moreover, immigration in adulthood was associated with lower executive function (β = −0.63; 95% CI: −0.78, −0.48) than immigration in adolescence (β = −0.49; 95% CI: −0.75, −0.23). Similarly, compared to third-generation individuals, first-generation immigrants had lower executive functioning scores.

Conclusions:

Our study supports the notion that sociocontextual influences in early life impact later life cognitive scores. Longitudinal studies are needed to further clarify how immigration characteristics affect cognitive decline.

Keywords

nativity statuscognitionrace/ethnicitydiversity
Type
Original Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 35 , Special Issue 1: Issue Theme: Ageism, Dementia, and Culture , January 2023 , pp. 17 - 28
Copyright
© International Psychogeriatric Association 2020

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