Do associations of neighbourhood attributes with cognitive function vary by socio-economic status? A 12-year follow-up study of older Australians

Abstract

Socio-economic status (SES), neighbourhood environments and their interactions can influence cognitive health in late life. Studies on this topic have examined a limited number of SES and environmental indicators and are mostly cross-sectional. We analysed data from 1160 individuals aged 60–64 years at baseline, with four assessments of cognitive functions across 12 years. SES indicators included education, homeownership, financial problems and area-level SES. Neighbourhood environmental attributes were determined using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data on population and street intersection densities, commercial land, parkland, tree canopy cover, non-commercial land use mix, transit ..