Racial/Ethnic and Nativity Differences in Cognitive Life Expectancies Among Older Adults in the United States

• Published in: The Gerontologist Vol. 59; no. 2; p. 281
• Main Authors: Garcia, Marc A, Downer, Brian, Chiu, Chi-Tsun, Saenz, Joseph L, Rote, Sunshine, Wong, Rebeca
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 14.03.2019
• Subjects: African Americans; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Case-Control Studies; Cognitive Dysfunction; Dementia; Emigration and Immigration - statistics & numerical data; Ethnic Groups - statistics & numerical data; European Continental Ancestry Group; Female; Hispanic Americans; Humans; Latin America - ethnology; Life Expectancy - ethnology; Male; Middle Aged; Sex Factors; United States; United States; Latin America; Nativity; Life expectancy; Race/ethnicity; Cognitive impairment; Dementia
• ISSN: 1758-5341
• DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnx142

To document racial/ethnic and nativity differences by gender in cognitive life expectancies among older adults in the United States. Sullivan-based life tables were used to estimate cognitively normal, cognitively impaired/no dementia (CIND), and dementia life expectancies by gender for White, Black, U.S.-born Hispanic, and foreign-born Hispanic adults 50 years and older in the Health and Retirement Study. Among women, the number of years spent living with dementia for Whites, Blacks, U.S.-born Hispanics, and foreign-born Hispanics was 1.6, 3.9, 4.7, and 6.0 years, respectively. For men, Whites lived 1.1 years with dementia compared to 3.1 years for Blacks, 3.0 years for U.S.-born Hispanics and 3.2 years for foreign-born Hispanics. Similar patterns were observed for race/ethnic and nativity differences in CIND life expectancies. Blacks and Hispanics spend a larger fraction of their remaining years with CIND and dementia relative to Whites, regardless of gender. Foreign-born Hispanic men and women and Black men are particularly disadvantaged in the proportion of years spent after age 50 with CIND and/or dementia. Disparities in cognitive life expectancies indicate that intervention strategies should target the specific needs of minority and immigrant older adults with dementia. Given that education is a strong predictor of cognitive health, improving access to the social and economic resources that delay dementia onset is key to improving the well-being of diverse older adults.