Jan 9, 2025 Story by: Editor
TUESDAY, Jan. 7, 2025 (HealthDay News) – Exposure to school segregation during childhood has been associated with poorer cognitive outcomes in later life among older Black adults, according to a study published online on Jan. 3 in JAMA Network Open.
The study, led by Zhuoer Lin, Ph.D., from the University of Illinois Chicago, analyzed data from the Health and Retirement Study, which included 3,566 Black and 17,555 White participants. Researchers examined the long-term cognitive effects of childhood exposure to school racial segregation.
Key Findings
The study revealed that participants who experienced high levels of segregation had worse cognitive outcomes compared to those with low exposure. Specifically:
- Cognitive scores were lower among those exposed to high segregation (13.6) versus low segregation (14.5).
- Rates of cognitive impairment were higher (37.0% vs. 28.0%).
- Dementia prevalence was elevated (14.1% vs. 9.3%).
Adjusted analyses highlighted a significant negative association between school segregation and cognitive outcomes in later life for Black participants, but not for White participants.
Role of Educational Attainment
Educational attainment was identified as a significant mediator, accounting for 57.6% to 72.6% of the association between segregation and cognitive outcomes. However, even after adjusting for mediators and covariates, Black participants exposed to high segregation still showed:
- Lower cognitive scores (coefficient, −0.26).
- Increased likelihood of cognitive impairment (adjusted odds ratio, 1.35).
- Higher odds of dementia (adjusted odds ratio, 1.26).
Implications
“These findings suggest that strengthened efforts to reduce school racial segregation could have lasting benefits for cognitive health and advance racial equity, particularly given the enduring segregation of schools as a prominent form of structural racism in the United States,” the study authors wrote.
This research underscores the long-term cognitive and health impacts of structural racism and highlights the importance of addressing systemic inequities in education to promote better health outcomes across lifespans. Source: MSN
