Exposure to neighborhood concentrated poverty is associated with faster decline in episodic memory among midlife women
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Neighborhood-level socioeconomic status (nSES) is associated with risk for cognitive impairment, but prior studies assessed nSES within an individual's own residential area without considering the distribution of nSES among adjacent areas. METHODS: Using up to 14 years of data from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (N = 1391, mean age = 54), we examined whether geographic clustering of concentrated neighborhood poverty was associated with cognitive decline over midlife. RESULTS: Greater neighborhood concentrated poverty was associated with faster decline in episodic memory but not in processing speed or working memory. Living in high concentrated poverty areas was linked to a 7% episodic memory decline per decade (both immediate and delayed recall), with Black women experiencing the steepest decline at 10% per decade (delayed recall). DISCUSSION: Women living in concentrated poverty areas exhibited accelerated decline in episodic memory during midlife. Neighborhood concentrated poverty may impact risk for future cognitive impairment and ADRD. HIGHLIGHTS: Living in concentrated poverty areas predicted a more rapid episodic memory decline. This pattern was most pronounced among Black women. The cohort was a racially/ethnically diverse cohort of midlife women across the US. Neighborhood concentrated poverty may contribute to the risk of ADRD.
Source: Alzheimer s & Dementia
DOI: 10.1002/alz.70139
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,200
Funders: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Alzheimer's Association, University of Pittsburgh, National Institutes of Health, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, National Institute on Aging, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Nursing Research, Office of Research on Women's Health
Awards: G1078949291, G1090129799, G1104801629, Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) V: UCLA Site, Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) V: Chicago site, G1650445419, MENOPAUSAL TRANSITION IN BLACK AND WHITE WOMEN, G1796344600, G212551621, G2137320162, G2445185886, G2886598935, G3185656352, Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) V: Coordinating Center, G3262555251, G3654623655, The Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN): The Impact of Midlife and the Menopause Transition on Health and Functioning in Early Old Age, Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) V: Central Laboratory, G4310344263, Neighborhood characteristics, GPS-based activity space, and cognitive health, GYNECOLOGIC IMPACT OF THE MENOPAUSAL TRANSITION, G4492651742, G4649022000, G5071055948, G5299499115, G5342059961, G5421556210, G5445786059, Study of Women's Health Across the Nation IV: UC Davis site, Pathways Linking Neighborhood and Behavioral Factors to the Risk of ADRD, G6665133860, G6802717753, Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN V): Michigan Site, G7005230341, G7183445854, G7907450062, G8012083396, Study of Women's Health Across the Nation(SWAN) V: Pittsburgh, G8772865444, G9000166516, G9000173966, G9000284152, G9000334687, Cardiovascular Epidemiology Training Program, Neighborhood characteristics, GPS-based activity space, and cognitive health, G987093159
OpenAlex ID: W4409239429