Beitrag in einem Sammelband

Cognitive functioning of U.S. adults by race and Hispanic origin

Díaz-Venegas, C., Downer, B., Langa, K. M., Wong, R.
In: Vega, W. A., Angel, J. L., Gutiérrez-Robledo, L. M., Markides, K. S. (Eds.): Contextualizing health and aging in the Americas: effects of space, time and place, 85–107
Cham, Springer (2019)
Open Access

Abstract

The U.S. older adult population is becoming increasingly diverse. The evidence from research using data from diverse older adult populations indicates that Hispanics have poorer performance on cognitive tests than older non-Hispanic whites (NHW). However, the evidence that older Hispanics are at an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia (ADRD) than NHW is less clear. Interpreting the evidence from existing research on disparities between NHWs and Hispanics is complicated by the fact that few studies have differentiated between Hispanic subgroups by country of origin. In this chapter, we use the ethnic descriptor of Hispanic as interchangeable with Latino. We summarize the current evidence on disparities between Hispanics and NHW in cognitive functioning and ADRD, and factors that may contribute to these disparities. This summary focuses on the rationale for considering specific Hispanic populations when studying differences in cognitive functioning between Hispanics and NHWs. Finally, we present and discuss the findings from an analysis of data from the 2010 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (n = 18,982) in which we examine differences in three cognitive domains by race/ethnicity, including four Hispanic subgroups. In this analysis, all Hispanic subgroups, except Cubans, had significantly lower scores for all cognitive domains compared to NHWs, with Puerto Ricans showing the lowest scores among Hispanics.

Schlagwörter: Vereinigte Staaten
Das Max-Planck-Institut für demografische Forschung (MPIDR) in Rostock ist eines der international führenden Zentren für Bevölkerungswissenschaft. Es gehört zur Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, einer der weltweit renommiertesten Forschungsgemeinschaften.