Associations between indicators of self-rated health, cognitive function, risk of cognitive impairment, and dementia: a coordinated data analysis
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: OBJECTIVES: A growing body of literature suggests that self- or patient- reported health may be associated with objective health outcomes. Self-reported health could thus be a noninvasive and low-cost way of identifying who is at risk of poor health in later life. However, no prior study has systematically examined this relationship using multiple large datasets. The goal of the current study was thus to examine the extent to which self-rated health was associated with cognitive function, a distinct outcome rather than an aspect of health itself. METHODS: Using a coordinated data analysis (CDA) methodological framework, we identified 15 longitudinal datasets comprising over 140,000 participants representing 38 countries that met our analytic inclusion criteria. Our preregistered analyses tested (a) whether self-rated health was associated with cognitive function both concurrently and at longitudinal follow-up, (b) the odds of developing cognitive impairment or dementia over the course of the study, and (c) whether these associations persisted net of demographic and health covariates. RESULTS: Across nearly all datasets, higher self-rated health was associated with better cognitive function (both concurrently and longitudinally) and lower odds of developing dementia, over and above the effects of chronic conditions. Age moderated some effects, such that these associations may be strongest among older adults. DISCUSSION: The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of the predictive utility of single-item subjective health indicators on downstream health outcomes and the benefits of using CDA in aging research.
Authors: Eileen K Graham, Kayla Garner, Emorie D Beck, Kathryn L Jackson, Jing Luo, Gabrielle N Pfund, Tomiko Yoneda, Rongxin Cheng, Adam Nissen, Anne Zola, Chloe Fawns-Ritchie, Lily Pieramici, Winnie Wang, Stephen Antonoplis, Philip J Batterham, Tom Booth, Raul A España, Matthew J D Pilgrim, Christopher Beam, Katherina K Hauner, Andrew Steptoe, Elizabeth Zelinski, Simon R Cox, Martijn Huisman, William J Chopik, Daniel K Mroczek
Institutions: Northwestern University, Endeavor Health, Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation, University of California, Davis, Auburn University, University of California, Riverside, University of Edinburgh, Australian National University, University of Southern California, University College London, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Michigan State University
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: Government of the United Kingdom, National Institute for Health and Care Research, Age UK, National Institutes of Health, Directorate for Biological Sciences, Medical Research Council, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Economic and Social Research Council, National Health and Medical Research Council, National Institute on Aging
Awards: G2064318019, G2277832307, The Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 Waves 6 and 7, G3669141092, G3828973723, G3906703801, G3996179666, Brain imaging and cognitive ageing in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936: IV, G5387586620, G5724395640, G5931154709, G666546157, G6671908157, Causes and treatments for common mental health problems in the community, G718988473, G7749460998, G7877448516, Clinical Trials Unit, G8733687393, English Longitudinal Study of Ageing - Renewal 2024
OpenAlex ID: W7204474794
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