State-level desegregation in the U.S. South and mid-life cognitive function among Black and White adults.

ABSTRACT:

Rationale

Black adults experience worse cognitive function than their White peers. Although educational attainment is an important predictor of cognitive function, other aspects of education, including school desegregation, may also shape this relationship. For Black adults who grew up in the U.S. South in the 1950s-1970s, exposure to school desegregation may have altered life course pathways critical for later cognitive function.

Objective

We determined if state variation in exposure to school desegregation in the U.S. South was associated with cognitive function at mid-life, if the association varied by race, and if the association remained after adjustment for state-level education quality and respondents' educational attainment.

Methods

We linked historical data o

SUBMITTER: Walsemann KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10872867 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature