Tari, Benjamin;
Kunzi, Morgane;
Pflanz, C Patrick;
Raymont, Vanessa;
Bauermeister, Sarah;
(2023)
Education is power: preserving cognition in the UK biobank.
Frontiers in Public Health
, 11
, Article 1244306. 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1244306.
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Dementia is a debilitating syndrome characterized by the gradual loss of memory and cognitive function. Although there are currently limited, largely symptomatic treatments for the diseases that can lead to dementia, its onset may be prevented by identifying and modifying relevant life style risk factors. Commonly described modifiable risk factors include diet, physical inactivity, and educational attainment. Importantly, however, to maximize the utility of our understanding of these risk factors, tangible and meaningful changes to policy must also be addressed. OBJECTIVES: Here, we aim to identify the mechanism(s) by which educational attainment influences cognition. METHODS: We investigated data from 502,357 individuals (Mage = 56.53, SDage = 8.09, 54.40% female) from the UK Biobank cohort via Structural Equation Modelling to illustrate links between predictor variables (i.e., Townsend Deprivation Index, coastal distance, greenspace, years of education), covariates (i.e., participant age) and cognitive function as outcome variables (i.e., pairs-matching, trail-making task B, fluid intelligence). RESULTS: Our model demonstrated that higher education was associated with better cognitive performance (ps < 0.001), and this relationship was mediated by indices of deprivation, and coastal distance. CONCLUSION: Accordingly, our model evinces the mediating effect of socioeconomic and environmental factors on the relationship between years of education and cognitive function. These results further demonstrate the utility and necessity of adapting public policy to encourage equitable access to education and other supports in deprived areas.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Education is power: preserving cognition in the UK biobank |
| Location: | Switzerland |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1244306 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1244306 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © 2023 Tari, Künzi, Pflanz, Raymont and Bauermeister. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. |
| Keywords: | Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Public, Environmental & Occupational Health, education, cognition, socioeconomic status, greenspace, coastal distance, SOCIOECONOMIC-STATUS, STRESS, HEALTH, DEMENTIA, OBESITY, INCOME |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences > Div of Surgery and Interventional Sci |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10203758 |
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