SELF-RATED HEALTH AMONG OLDER BLACKS AND PERFORMANCE ON PSYCHOMETRIC TESTS

• Published in: Innovation in aging 2018-11, Vol.2 (suppl_1), p.649-650
• Main Authors: Tan, S, Gamaldo, A, Sardina, A, Andel, R, Allaire, J, Whitfield, K
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abstracts
• ISSN: 2399-5300; 2399-5300
• DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igy023.2424

Although self-rated health (SRH) has shown to be associated with mortality and functional limitations, few studies have examined the relationship between SRH and cognitive functioning, particularly within Black adults. This study examined the relationship between three components of SRH (i.e., self-reported medical conditions, general health perception, and self-perception of health compared to peers) and performance on psychometric cognitive tests (digits backward, alpha span and digit symbol test) in Black adults. This study included 508 community-dwelling Black adults aged 51–96 (mean = 70.5; SD= 9.07) participating in the Tampa Bay Study and the Baltimore Study of Black Aging. A greater number of self-reported medical conditions was significantly associated with worse performance on digit backward and digit symbol test. A positive general health perception and higher self-perceptions of health compared to peers were significantly associated with better performance on the digit symbol test. After controlling for covariates, reporting more medical conditions was significantly associated with digit backward (b = -.12, p = .013), whereas both reporting more medical conditions (b = -.52, p = .045) and having poorer self-perception of health compared to peers (b = 1.77, p = .029) was significantly associated with the digit symbol test. The association between medical conditions and performance on cognitive tests of memory and attention may be mainly a function of physical health whereas the association between perception of health and response speed may be at least partially driven by psychological factors such as increased anxiety while completing a timed test.