Self-rated health as a predictor of cognition among middle-aged and older Latinos

ABSTRACT

Self-rated health (SRH) has been used to predict cognitive decline in various populations; however, this relationship has not been examined in Latinos. This study examines the relationship between SRH and cognition among middle-aged and older Latinos. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted among Latinos (n = 425, M_age = 64.13 ± 7.65, 82% female). Participants rated their health as poor/fair, good, and excellent and completed cognitive performance tests. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) examined differences in cognition between SRH categories. ANCOVAs showed significant differences in SRH categories for working memory (F [2, 357] = 3.63, p = .028) and global cognition (F [2, 348] = 3.074, p = .047), such that those who self-rated their health as good had better scores compared to participants in the poor/fair category. Findings show that SRH is associated with cognition among middle-aged and older Latinos. SRH may serve as an indicator of early signs of cognitive decline.

KEYWORDS:

• Racial disparities
• cognitive function
• hispanics
• aging
• self-rated health

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all participants, the research staff that assisted with recruitment, data collection, and data management. A special thanks to Priscilla Vasquez, Isabela G. Marques, and Zhi Yang.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Center for Clinical and Translational Science, University of Illinois at Chicago [UL1TR000050]; National Institute of Nursing Research [R01NR013151]; National Institues of Health and the University of Illinois at Chicago Midwest Roybal Center for Health Promotion and Translation [2P30AG022849-11].