Does Education Moderate the Relationship between Social Capital and Cognitive Function among Older Adults? Evidence from Suzhou City, China.

Jingyue Zhang,Nan Lu,Wenxiu Wang

doi:10.3390/ijerph17186560

Abstract

While social capital is recognized as an important protective determinant of cognitive function in later life, there is a lack of research examining the potential moderators and mediators in the mechanisms linking social capital to cognitive function. This study investigated the moderating role of education on the relationship between social capital and cognitive function among older adults in urban Chinese communities. Data were derived from a community survey conducted in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, in late 2015. A quota sampling method was applied to recruit respondents aged 60 years or older from 16 communities in the Gusu district. The final analytic sample size was 446. Multiple group analysis was applied to test the proposed model. The results show that cognitive social capital was significantly associated with cognitive function in the high education group only. Structural social capital was not significantly associated with cognitive function. The findings highlight the important role of social capital in influencing cognitive function in later life. Social capital interventions could be particularly useful as a preventive approach to help older adults sustain their cognitive function levels. Policy and intervention implications are discussed.

Highlights

The number of Chinese adults aged 65 years or older reached 166.58 million in 2018, accounting for 11.9% of the total population [1]
Identifying social determinants of cognitive function, which is defined as multiple mental capacities [3], is crucial to gain an in-depth understanding of why certain people are vulnerable to cognitive impairment and dementia and to develop preventive interventions and strategies to slow down cognitive decline processes
This study investigated the moderation effect of education on the relationship between social capital and cognitive function in later life in urban China

Summary

Introduction

The number of Chinese adults aged 65 years or older reached 166.58 million in 2018, accounting for 11.9% of the total population [1]. 2018, indicating that a large proportion of the older Chinese population will live in urban communities in the few decades [1]. The number of oldest-old Chinese adults, aged 80 years or older, is growing rapidly and is estimated to constitute around one fourth of the oldest-old population worldwide in 2050 [2]. It is important to note that the prevalence of cognitive impairment and dementia increases with age. Under such circumstances, these conditions can lead to huge social and economic burden for individuals, families, and Chinese society. Identifying social determinants of cognitive function, which is defined as multiple mental capacities (e.g., memory and mental intactness such as numerical ability and time orientation) [3], is crucial to gain an in-depth understanding of why certain people are vulnerable to cognitive impairment and dementia and to develop preventive interventions and strategies to slow down cognitive decline processes

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