Living Arrangements and Cognitive Impairment Among Mexican American Older Adults: Nativity Differences

This study examines nativity differences in the relationship between living arrangement (living alone, with one other, or with two or more people) and cognitive impairment in older Mexican Americans (≥75 years) with moderate to high cognitive function at baseline. Using 12-year longitudinal data from 1,026 participants in the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly, generalized estimating equation models revealed that US-born participants living with one other or two or more individuals had significantly higher odds of developing cognitive impairment than those living alone, whereas no significant association was observed among foreign-born participants, after adjusting for all covariates. These findings indicate that cognitive change over time for older adults in different living arrangements differs by nativity. These results emphasize the importance of considering both nativity and household structure when developing interventions to preserve cognitive function among diverse older adult populations.