Fertility History and Cognitive Function in Late Life: The Case of Mexico.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Mexico is aging rapidly, which makes identification of life-course factors influencing cognition a public health priority. We evaluate how the number of children one has relates to cognition in Mexico, a rapidly aging country that experienced fertility declines across recent cohorts of older people.

Method

We analyze older adults (age 50+, n = 11,380) from the 2015 Mexican Health and Aging Study. Respondents were categorized by number of children ever born (0-1, 2-3, 4-5, 6+). Using ordinary least squares regression, we estimate independent associations between fertility history and cognition accounting for demographic, socioeconomic, health, and psychosocial factors.

Results

We observed an inverse U-shaped relationship between number of children (peaking a

SUBMITTER: Saenz JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7955970 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature