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

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.