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Life course linkages between enriching early-life activities and later life cognition: Evidence from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study

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  • Greenfield, Emily A.
  • Reynolds, Addam
  • Moorman, Sara M.

Abstract

Prior research suggests that participation in enriching early-life activities (EELAs) has long-term benefits for cognitive health and aging. This study aims to examine the life course processes underlying these associations by drawing on theoretical models from life course epidemiology. Specifically, we tested sensitive-period effects, social pathways, and selection effects as potential explanations for linkages between greater participation in EELAs and better later life cognition. We drew on data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS), which is among the longest-running cohort studies in the U.S. that has followed graduates (all identified as non-Hispanic White) from Wisconsin high schools since 1957. We used prospective measures of key variables, including information from high school yearbooks, with assessments of cognitive performance at ages 65 and 72. Results from multilevel modeling indicated that greater participation in cognitively oriented extracurricular activities (but not physically nor socially oriented activities) was associated with both better language/executive functioning and memory at age 65. Although the size of these associations was reduced when accounting for other cognitive resources in adolescence (childhood socioeconomic status and adolescent cognitive ability) and in midlife (adult socioeconomic status and formal group participation), there remained small, yet statistically robust, associations. We did not find robust associations between greater EELA engagement and slower rates of decline in cognition between ages 65 and 72, nor did we find evidence of gender differences. Results suggest that for this cohort of older adults, EELA participation is part of life course “protective chains,” whereby exposures to assets at one point in the life course increase the likelihood of subsequent exposures, each sequentially and in their own right, toward better later life cognition. We discuss how results support the importance of policies and practices to promote healthy cognitive development among youth for the long-term cognitive health of a rapidly aging U.S. population.

Suggested Citation

  • Greenfield, Emily A. & Reynolds, Addam & Moorman, Sara M., 2022. "Life course linkages between enriching early-life activities and later life cognition: Evidence from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 294(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:294:y:2022:i:c:s0277953621010054
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114673
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Moorman, Sara M. & Carr, Kyle & Greenfield, Emily A., 2018. "Childhood socioeconomic status and genetic risk for poorer cognition in later life," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 219-226.
    2. Betsey Stevenson, 2007. "Title Ix And The Evolution Of High School Sports," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 25(4), pages 486-505, October.
    3. Kyle D Moored & Thomas Chan & Vijay R Varma & Yi-Fang Chuang & Jeanine M Parisi & Michelle C Carlson & Angela Gutchess, 2020. "Engagement in Enriching Early-Life Activities Is Associated With Larger Hippocampal and Amygdala Volumes in Community-Dwelling Older Adults," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 75(8), pages 1637-1647.
    4. Emily A Greenfield & Sara Moorman & Annika Rieger & Jessica Kelley, 2021. "Life Course Pathways From Childhood Socioeconomic Status to Later-Life Cognition: Evidence From the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 76(6), pages 1206-1217.
    5. Haas, Steven, 2008. "Trajectories of functional health: The 'long arm' of childhood health and socioeconomic factors," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(4), pages 849-861, February.
    6. Rebecca J. Melrose & Paul Brewster & María J. Marquine & Anna MacKay-Brandt & Bruce Reed & Sarah T. Farias & Dan Mungas, 2015. "Early Life Development in a Multiethnic Sample and the Relation to Late Life Cognition," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 70(4), pages 519-531.
    7. Emily A Greenfield & Sara M Moorman, 2018. "Extracurricular Involvement in High School and Later-Life Participation in Voluntary Associations," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 73(3), pages 482-491.
    8. Thomas Chan & Jeanine M Parisi & Kyle D Moored & Michelle C Carlson & Angela Gutchess, 2019. "Variety of Enriching Early-Life Activities Linked to Late-Life Cognitive Functioning in Urban Community-Dwelling African Americans," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 74(8), pages 1345-1355.
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