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. 2011 May;66(3):354-63.
doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbr016. Epub 2011 Mar 14.

Racial differences in the association of education with physical and cognitive function in older blacks and whites

Lisa L Barnes  1 , Robert S Wilson, Liesi E Hebert, Paul A Scherr, Denis A Evans, Carlos F Mendes de Leon
Affiliations

Racial differences in the association of education with physical and cognitive function in older blacks and whites

Lisa L Barnes et al. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2011 May.

Abstract

Objectives: Few studies have explicitly tested whether the health disadvantage among older blacks is consistent across the entire range of education. We examined racial differences in the cross-sectional association of education with physical and cognitive function performance in older adults.

Methods: Participants included over 9500 blacks and whites, aged ≥ 65 years, from the Chicago Health and Aging Project {64% black, 60% women, mean age = 73.0 (standard deviation [SD] = 6.9), mean education = 12.2 (SD = 3.5)}. Physical function was assessed using 3 physical performance tests, and cognitive function was assessed with 4 performance-based tests; composite measures were created and used in analyses.

Results: In multiple regression models that controlled for age, age-squared, sex, and race, and their interactions, whites and those with higher education (>12 years) performed significantly better on both functional health measures. The association of education with each indicator of functional health was similar in older blacks and whites with low levels (≤ 12 years) of education. However, at higher levels of education, there was a significantly more positive association between years of education and these functional health outcomes among blacks than whites.

Discussion: Results from this biracial population-based sample in the Midwest suggest that blacks may enjoy greater returns in functional health for additional education beyond high school.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Predicted physical function scores by level of education derived from a linear regression model for typical Blacks (solid line) and Whites (dotted line), adjusted for age, age-squared, sex, and the age by sex interaction term.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Predicted cognitive function scores by level of education derived from a linear regression model for typical Blacks (solid line) and Whites (dotted line), adjusted for age, age-squared, sex, and the age by sex interaction term.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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