Social factors associated with everyday functioning in older Black adults.

Objective: Independence in everyday functioning has been associated with successful aging and declines in functioning may be indicative of pathological cognitive decline. Social determinants of health, like economic status and access to health care, a]lso play a role in everyday functioning. Understanding these factors are of particular importance for older Black adults who have had long-standing disparate access to care, education, and treatments. The current study aimed to evaluate social determinants of health, more specifically social engagement, as moderators of the association between cognition and everyday functioning.

Method: A sample of 930 older Black adults from Rush University: The Memory and Aging Project, African American Clinical Core, and Minority Adult Research Study were used. Participants completed a battery of neuropsychological testing as well as questionnaires about their everyday functioning and social behaviors. Hierarchical linear regressions were utilized to determine to what extent social factors moderated the relationship between cognition and everyday functioning.

Results: Late life social activity reduced the effect of global cognition on everyday functioning and was independently associated with everyday functioning. Social network size was associated with increased impairment.

Conclusion: Results from the current study provide novel information regarding the role of social interaction on cognition in an older Black adult sample. Future interventions may benefit from an emphasis on increasing social engagement.