Supportive neighborhoods linked to slower cognitive decline in older immigrants

Older Chinese immigrants living in neighborhoods with greater access to community amenities, services and supportive infrastructure experienced slower cognitive decline over time, according to Rutgers Health researchers.

Their study, published in Social Science & Medicine, examined data from the Population Study of Chinese Elderly, one of the largest studies of older Chinese immigrants in the United States. Researchers examined how neighborhood resources, such as museums, libraries, health services and internet access, were associated with changes in cognitive function among 2,763 Chinese immigrants ages 60 or older living in the Greater Chicago area.

While neighborhood conditions weren't linked to cognitive performance at the beginning of the study, researchers found that individuals living in more "cognitively supportive" neighborhoods declined more slowly with age.

Our findings suggest that where people live can play an important role in preserving cognitive health later in life. Neighborhoods that offer access to cultural, social and health-related resources may help reduce dementia risk by supporting mental stimulation, physical activity, and social engagement over time."

Yanping Jiang, a core member of the Rutgers Center for Population Behavioral Health at the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research and lead author of the study

Jiang, an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, added that "older immigrants, like Chinese Americans, often face cultural and language barriers and limited mobility, which can make them especially reliant on local resources. This means community investments in culturally accessible amenities and services may be particularly meaningful for supporting healthy aging in immigrant populations."

To capture the effects of neighborhood environments, the researchers developed a "Cognability Neighborhood Index" that reflects the availability of amenities, services and infrastructure that may support cognitive health. These features included numbers of museums, recreational centers, education and civic organizations, parks, public transit stops, health care services, road networks and internet access in specific communities.

The researchers found that participants living in neighborhoods with higher "Cognability" scores experienced significantly slower rates of cognitive decline, even after accounting for age, sex, education, marital status, neighborhood socioeconomic status and the amount of time living in a neighborhood and other individual factors.

Not all amenities were equally beneficial, however. Researchers identified specific neighborhood features that were particularly beneficial for better cognitive trajectories, including greater access to museums and libraries and more nearby health services.

According to the Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's disease and related dementias affect 55 million people worldwide. Researchers have identified several modifiable risk factors for these incurable diseases, including factors shaped by an individual's neighborhood environment.

Rutgers researchers said initiatives that expand access to local cultural institutions, health services and supportive infrastructure have the potential to foster environments that protect the cognitive health of underserved populations, as well as the general population.

Coauthors of the study include Wendi Da and Leslie Zhen of the Rutgers Institute for Health, Jessica Finlay and Zhe Lin of the University of Colorado Boulder and Fengyan Tang of the University of Pittsburgh.