SIGNATURE WORK
CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION 2022

Background: Studies have found that socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with cognitive health in late life. However, it is unclear whether this relationship could be mediated by behavioral or environmental factors. In the present study, I examined the association of SES with cognitive function among adults aged 60 years and above and whether this association was mediated by physical exercise, social interaction, access to care, and community service.

Methods: Data were from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). SES was indicated by occupation, education level, and income. Cognitive function was assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), with a score of less than 22 considered cognitively impaired.

Results: Of 8866 participants, 4876 (55.0%) were females and the mean age was 83.19 (year; SD=11.48 years); 1553 (17.9%) were classified as cognitively impaired. In the final model, the results showed a significant relationship between SES and MMSE for older adults (β = 3.949, p < 0.001). SES mediated the effect in their relationship through physical exercise (β = 0.424, p = 0.007), social interaction (β = 1.044, p < 0.001), and access to care (β = 1.743, p < 0.001). I did not observe a significant association between community service and MMSE. Conclusion: Among the four mediators, social interaction plays the most important role in mitigating the negative impact of low SES brought to cognitive health, indicating that indi0viduals and institutions should attach importance to engaging more older people in social activities.