Relationship between socioeconomic status and cognitive ability among Chinese older adults: the moderating role of social support
Abstract Background Understanding the causes and pathways of cognitive decline among older populations is of great importance in China. This study aims to examine whether the discrepancy in socioeconomic status (SES) makes a difference to the cognitive ability among Chinese older adults, and to dise...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-04-01
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| Series: | International Journal for Equity in Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-023-01887-6 |
| _version_ | 1797836571259437056 |
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| author | Leiyu Shi Lei Tao Nanqian Chen Hailun Liang |
| author_facet | Leiyu Shi Lei Tao Nanqian Chen Hailun Liang |
| author_sort | Leiyu Shi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Understanding the causes and pathways of cognitive decline among older populations is of great importance in China. This study aims to examine whether the discrepancy in socioeconomic status (SES) makes a difference to the cognitive ability among Chinese older adults, and to disentangle the moderating role of different types of social support in the process in which SES influences cognition. Methods We utilized a nationally representative sample from the 2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. A cumulative SES score was constructed to measure the combined effect of different socioeconomic statuses on the cognitive ability of the elderly. We further examined the moderating role of two types of social support, including emotional support, and financial support. Hierarchical regression analysis was applied to test the direct effect of SES on cognitive ability, and to investigate the moderating role of social support on the association of the SES with the dependent variables. Results The results showed that the higher SES of older adults was significantly associated with better cognitive ability (β = 0.52, p < 0.001) after controlling for age, sex, marital status, living region, Hukou, health insurance, lifestyle factors, and physical health status. Emotional support and financial support were moderated the relationship between SES score and cognitive ability. Conclusion Our results reveal the importance of considering social support in buffering the effects of SES and the associated cognitive ability for aging populations. It highlights the importance of narrowing the socioeconomic gap among the elderly. Policymakers should consider promoting social support to improve the cognitive ability among older adults. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T15:12:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bc893623a24f432399db114478b8fe8e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1475-9276 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T15:12:10Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal for Equity in Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-bc893623a24f432399db114478b8fe8e2023-04-30T11:10:38ZengBMCInternational Journal for Equity in Health1475-92762023-04-0122111110.1186/s12939-023-01887-6Relationship between socioeconomic status and cognitive ability among Chinese older adults: the moderating role of social supportLeiyu Shi0Lei Tao1Nanqian Chen2Hailun Liang3Johns Hopkins Primary Care Policy CenterDepartment of Public and International Affairs, City University of Hong KongDepartment of Sociology, The Chinese University of Hong KongSchool of Public Administration and Policy, Renmin University of ChinaAbstract Background Understanding the causes and pathways of cognitive decline among older populations is of great importance in China. This study aims to examine whether the discrepancy in socioeconomic status (SES) makes a difference to the cognitive ability among Chinese older adults, and to disentangle the moderating role of different types of social support in the process in which SES influences cognition. Methods We utilized a nationally representative sample from the 2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. A cumulative SES score was constructed to measure the combined effect of different socioeconomic statuses on the cognitive ability of the elderly. We further examined the moderating role of two types of social support, including emotional support, and financial support. Hierarchical regression analysis was applied to test the direct effect of SES on cognitive ability, and to investigate the moderating role of social support on the association of the SES with the dependent variables. Results The results showed that the higher SES of older adults was significantly associated with better cognitive ability (β = 0.52, p < 0.001) after controlling for age, sex, marital status, living region, Hukou, health insurance, lifestyle factors, and physical health status. Emotional support and financial support were moderated the relationship between SES score and cognitive ability. Conclusion Our results reveal the importance of considering social support in buffering the effects of SES and the associated cognitive ability for aging populations. It highlights the importance of narrowing the socioeconomic gap among the elderly. Policymakers should consider promoting social support to improve the cognitive ability among older adults.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-023-01887-6Cognitive abilitySocioeconomic status disparitiesSocial Support |
| spellingShingle | Leiyu Shi Lei Tao Nanqian Chen Hailun Liang Relationship between socioeconomic status and cognitive ability among Chinese older adults: the moderating role of social support International Journal for Equity in Health Cognitive ability Socioeconomic status disparities Social Support |
| title | Relationship between socioeconomic status and cognitive ability among Chinese older adults: the moderating role of social support |
| title_full | Relationship between socioeconomic status and cognitive ability among Chinese older adults: the moderating role of social support |
| title_fullStr | Relationship between socioeconomic status and cognitive ability among Chinese older adults: the moderating role of social support |
| title_full_unstemmed | Relationship between socioeconomic status and cognitive ability among Chinese older adults: the moderating role of social support |
| title_short | Relationship between socioeconomic status and cognitive ability among Chinese older adults: the moderating role of social support |
| title_sort | relationship between socioeconomic status and cognitive ability among chinese older adults the moderating role of social support |
| topic | Cognitive ability Socioeconomic status disparities Social Support |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-023-01887-6 |
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