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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Karen Ertel, MPH, MM Glymour, ScD, and Lisa Berkman, PhD. Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard University School of Public Health, Landmark Center, 4th Floor West, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02115, 6173848725, kertel@hsph.harvard.edu

Social integration and memory decline in US elderly: a prospective association

Prior research suggests social integration protects against cognitive decline in late life. However, the validity and generalizability of these findings have been questioned because the causal direction is uncertain and studies have used geographically localized samples.

Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (n=18,776), a nationally representative sample of US residents born before 1948, we examined whether social integration predicted memory change at four assessments over six years. Memory was measured using immediate and delayed recall of a 10-word list (WLMRT). Social integration included presence of a spouse, volunteer activities, and contact with children, parents, and neighbors. We examined growth curve models of change in WLMRT for the whole sample and stratified by sex and race, adjusting for age, education, wealth, income, depressive symptoms, and health conditions.

Mean WLMRT scores declined from 10.2 (SD=3.9) in 1998 to 9.4 (SD=3.5) in 2004. Higher levels of social integration at baseline predicted slower rate of memory decline before (p<0.01) and after (p<0.04) covariate adjustment. Participants with high social integration (75th percentile) experienced memory decline at a rate 10% slower than participants with low social integration (25th percentile). Reduced rate of memory decline was particularly high among African Americans. Finally, there was no evidence of reverse causation.

Higher levels of social integration are prospectively associated with reduced rate of memory loss among US elders. Strategies for slowing memory decline have been largely unsuccessful; approaches incorporating social integration may hold more promise.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to

• Define social integration and related concepts of social support and social networks
• Assess the current state of research regarding the association between social factors in late life and cognitive outcomes
• Describe the prospective relation between social integration and memory loss in a nationally-representative sample of older adults in the United States

Awards: Retirement Research Foundation Doctoral Student Award - Recipient

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No