Abstract
Latinos are one of the fastest growing minoritized populations in the US at risk for Alzheimer’s dementia. In addition to being at the forefront of the dementia epidemic, Latinos have some of the lowest levels of overall cardiovascular health. Research documenting how cardiovascular health impacts cognition and brain aging in Latinos does not completely account for Latinos’ disparities in brain aging; investigating culturally-relevant contributors is the logical next step. Acculturation, the process by which Latinos adapt to the US and potentially adopt its values and practices, has been shown to be an important contributor to overall health in Latinos; however, the literature is inconsistent. This may be due, in part, to the fact that acculturation is not a static, linear process but rather a dynamic exchange between Latinos and other members of society that emerges from and is reinforced by broader socioenvironmental determinants vital to a process increasingly called ‘acculturation in context’. I will discuss acculturation in context as a framework for investigating brain aging in older Latinos. I will share findings from our longitudinal study investigating the relationships between acculturation in context, cognitive, and cardiovascular health in approximately 200 older Latinos and how acculturation in context modifies the well-documented relationships between cardiovascular health and cognitive decline in these same individuals. Incorporation of broader socioenvironmental determinants with established acculturation factors has the potential to provide a more comprehensive understanding of Latinos’ health disparities in brain aging, and outline risk and resilience factors to target in future intervention studies.
Presenters
Melissa LamarFull Professor and Clinical Neuropsychologist , Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center , Rush University Medical Center, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Presentation in a Themed Panel
Theme
Cognitive Resilience and Aging
KEYWORDS
Acculturation In Context, Cognition, Cardiovascular Health, Older Latinos
