Background: Socioeconomic position (SEP) is a recognized protective factor for cognitive function (CF), yet the critical life stage for its impact remains debated and may vary across SEP indicators. This study aims to delineate life-course SEP trajectories and investigate their longitudinal effects on cognitive aging among Chinese people. Methods: The study included participants aged 40 and older (N=20,055) from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011-2020). SEP indicators were education, occupation, and income from childhood to late adulthood. The outcome was the z-score of a global cognitive composite score. Sankey diagrams were used to illustrate the life-course SEP mobility. Mixed-effects models were conducted to explore the relationship between SEP indicators across life stages and late-life cognition. Latent class analysis was utilized to identify distinct life-course SEP trajectories, with descriptions of cognitive decline for each trajectory by gender. Results: There were substantial intergenerational upward education and moderate upward income mobility while relatively stable occupation change. All SEP indicators were positively correlated with late-life CF, with adulthood education, paternal occupation, and adulthood income showing stronger protective effects than SEP from other life stages. Compared to the consistently low-level trajectory, those with stable high or upward SEP trajectories exhibited higher late-life CF and slower cognitive decline rates, particularly among women. Conclusion: Elderly Chinese have experienced upward education and income mobility over decades. Life-course education, paternal occupation, and adulthood income were strongly associated with CF, emphasizing the need for improvements in lifelong education, occupation, and income to mitigate cognitive decline, especially for women.

Authors:
Mingyue Gao, Xiamen University, China
Wenxin Cai, Xiamen University, China
Ya Fang, Xiamen University, China

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Mingyue Gao is currently an Assistant professor of Epidemiology of Healthy Aging, at School of Public Health, Xiamen University, China

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