Man Guo1, Yi Wang1, Hanzhang Xu2,3, Mengting Li4,5, Bei Wu6, Xinqi Dong4. 1. School of Social Work, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA. 2. Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA. 3. Duke University School of Nursing, Durham, North Carolina, USA. 4. Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA. 5. School of Nursing, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey, USA. 6. Rory Meyers College of Nursing, New York University, New York, New York, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Ethnic enclaves provide pivotal coping resources for immigrants, having important implications for cognitive health. This study examined the association between living in an ethnic enclave (i.e., Chinatown) and cognition, and potential moderating effect of education on such an association among Chinese older immigrants in the United States. We further examined subgroup differences based on preferred language (Mandarin, Cantonese, and Taishanese). RESEARCH DESIGNS AND METHODS: Data were derived from the Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago (N = 3,105, mean age = 73). Global cognition, assessed by a battery including Mini-Mental State Examination, working memory, episodic memory, and executive function, was compared between those who lived in Chinatown (n = 1,870) and those who did not (n = 1,235). Linear regressions with interaction terms were performed in the entire sample and subsamples with different language preferences. RESULTS: Chinatown residents had significantly poorer cognition than non-Chinatown residents. Regression results identified both protective and risk factors for cognition associated with living in Chinatown. Among them, education (β = 0.072, p < .001) played a salient role in explaining the cognitive disadvantage of Chinatown residents. Education also moderated the influence of Chinatown residence on cognition, but only among Mandarin speakers (β = -0.027, p = .04). DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Living in an ethnic enclave may be a risk factor for poor cognition for Chinese immigrants. Neighborhood-specific health assessment may facilitate early identification and prevention of cognitive impairment in this population. Studies need to examine divergent aging experiences of immigrants within single ethnic groups.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Ethnic enclaves provide pivotal coping resources for immigrants, having important implications for cognitive health. This study examined the association between living in an ethnic enclave (i.e., Chinatown) and cognition, and potential moderating effect of education on such an association among Chinese older immigrants in the United States. We further examined subgroup differences based on preferred language (Mandarin, Cantonese, and Taishanese). RESEARCH DESIGNS AND METHODS: Data were derived from the Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago (N = 3,105, mean age = 73). Global cognition, assessed by a battery including Mini-Mental State Examination, working memory, episodic memory, and executive function, was compared between those who lived in Chinatown (n = 1,870) and those who did not (n = 1,235). Linear regressions with interaction terms were performed in the entire sample and subsamples with different language preferences. RESULTS: Chinatown residents had significantly poorer cognition than non-Chinatown residents. Regression results identified both protective and risk factors for cognition associated with living in Chinatown. Among them, education (β = 0.072, p < .001) played a salient role in explaining the cognitive disadvantage of Chinatown residents. Education also moderated the influence of Chinatown residence on cognition, but only among Mandarin speakers (β = -0.027, p = .04). DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Living in an ethnic enclave may be a risk factor for poor cognition for Chinese immigrants. Neighborhood-specific health assessment may facilitate early identification and prevention of cognitive impairment in this population. Studies need to examine divergent aging experiences of immigrants within single ethnic groups.
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