DLH Researcher Authors Paper Examining Associations Between US Acculturation and Cognitive Performance

DLH epidemiologist Erline Martinez-Miller is the lead author of a new paper published in The American Journal of Epidemiology titled “Longitudinal Associations of US Acculturation With Cognitive Performance, Cognitive Impairment, and Dementia.”

US Latinos, a growing but aging population, are disproportionately burdened by cognitive decline and dementia. Researchers hope to develop risk-reducing interventions, but must first identify modifiable risk factors. 

To that end, the paper examined whether US acculturation among Latinos in Sacramento, California was associated with cognitive performance, cognitive decline, dementia, and other forms of cognitive impairment over a 10-year period. Participants with high US acculturation had better cognitive performance than those with low acculturation after adjustment for sociodemographic factors, practice effects, and survey language.

A full abstract is available on PubMed.