Associations Between Immigration-Related Factors and Cognition Among Hispanics, the HABS-HD Study

ObjectivesTo examine associations between immigration-related factors and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia among Hispanics; and associations between immigration-related factors and cognitive performance among cognitively unimpaired Hispanics.MethodsData from the Health & Aging Brain Study-Health Disparities study were used. 1231 Hispanic participants were included. Six indicators, including time living in the US, nativity, age of migration, primary language, bilingualism, and acculturation level, were considered immigration-related factors. Both the three-category (dementia, MCI, and cognitively unimpaired) and binary (cognitively impaired and cognitively unimpaired) outcomes were used. The cognitive performance was evaluated by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Multiple logistic, multinomial logistic, and linear regression models adjusted for age, sex, and education were applied.ResultsThe likelihood of cognitive impairment did not differ significantly between native-born and foreign-born Hispanics, whereas foreign-born cognitively unimpaired Hispanics had significantly lower global cognition than their native-born counterparts. When stratifying by age of migration, a significant association between time living in the US and cognitive impairment was observed among early-life immigrants. A higher acculturation level was associated with lower odds of both dementia and MCI among native-born Hispanics, but was insignificant in foreign-born Hispanics. Bilingualism was significantly associated with dementia or MCI in foreign-born Hispanics. Monolingual foreign-born cognitively unimpaired Hispanics had significantly lower MMSE scores than bilingual foreign-born Hispanics.ConclusionsForeign-born Hispanics might be more vulnerable to cognitive aging. Bilingualism may play a more important role in cognitive health in foreign-born Hispanics than in native-born Hispanics. Acculturation may have distinct effects on foreign-born and native-born Hispanics.