Home › Research › Disparities
Racial Disparities in Cognitive Performance in Mid- and Late Adulthood: Analyses of Two Cohort Studies
Zahodne LB, Manly JJ, Azar M, Brickman AM, Glymour MM.. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2016-05-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Objectives To examine whether the attenuation of racial disparities observed in physical health outcomes at older ages can be extended to cognitive outcomes in mid- and late-life samples. Design Cross-sectional associations between race and cognitive functioning were examined as a function of age. Setting The National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) and the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project (WHICAP). Participants Non-Hispanic African American or white individuals aged 40 and older (MIDUS; n = 3875, 10.5% African American) and non-Hispanic African American or white individuals aged 65 and older without a diagnosis of dementia (WHICAP; n = 2,729, 53.8% African American). Measurements Composite scores of executive functioning and episodic memory. Results Independent of main effects of age, birth cohort, sex, education, and chronic health conditions, significant interactions between age and race indicated that racial disparities in episodic memory and executive functioning were larger at younger than older age in both samples. Conclusion Attenuation of racial inequalities in older age can be extended to cognitive outcomes, which probably reflects selective survival. Research on cognitive disparities or on race-specific causes of cognitive outcomes in old age must incorporate corrections for selective survival if the goal is to identify causal predictors of cognitive outcomes rather than merely statistical predictors.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Zahodne, L. B., Manly, J. J., Azar, M., Brickman, A. M., & Glymour, M. M. (2016). Racial Disparities in Cognitive Performance in Mid- and Late Adulthood: Analyses of Two Cohort Studies. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.14113
Vancouver
Zahodne LB, Manly JJ, Azar M, Brickman AM, Glymour MM. Racial Disparities in Cognitive Performance in Mid- and Late Adulthood: Analyses of Two Cohort Studies. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2016. doi:10.1111/jgs.14113. PMID: 27225354.
BibTeX
@article{zahodne2016-27225354,
author = {Zahodne, L. B. and Manly, J. J. and Azar, M. and Brickman, A. M. and Glymour, M. M.},
title = {{Racial Disparities in Cognitive Performance in Mid- and Late Adulthood: Analyses of Two Cohort Studies}},
journal = {Journal of the American Geriatrics Society},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.1111/jgs.14113},
pmid = {27225354},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.14113}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Results Independent of main effects of age, birth cohort, sex, education, and chronic health conditions, significant interactions between age and race indicated that racial disparities in episodic memory and executive functioning were larger at younger than older age in both samples.
Why it matters
This study found that racial disparities in memory and executive functioning were larger at younger than older ages in two cohort studies. It suggests selective survival may affect cognitive disparities, but it does not test any treatment, cure or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Disparities →
Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Participants3,875
- Effect size10.5%; 53.8%
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 56/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Journal of the American Geriatrics Society: journal h-index 344 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 4 / 12 | A snapshot of people at one point in time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2016 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 3,875 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 67 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 5.6 citations a year over 12 year(s) since 2016 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 1.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 4 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 21 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author M. Maria Glymour: h-index 83 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of California, San Francisco: institution h-index 1,915 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 27225354) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 56 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Related
Studies in the library that share something with this one. The line above each title says what.
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
4 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references.
Related studies in Disparities
Also tagged “controlled”
1,116 studies in the library carry the topic tag “controlled”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 1,116 tagged studies.