Association between rural-to-urban migration and the cognitive aging trajectories of older Chinese adults: results from a prospective cohort analysis

Abstract Background Increasingly, older Chinese adults from rural areas are moving to urban areas to live with their children who have already migrated to these areas. However, few studies have examined this pattern of migration and its effects on cognitive function. We aimed to investigate the association between domestic rural-to-urban migration and the trajectories of cognitive function in older Chinese adults, as well as the factors contributing to these association. Methods Data for this study were drawn from three waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Migrants were defined as participants who had rural hukou status (under China’s household registration system) but resided in an urban area. Cognitive functions were measured using an adapted Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination. We used multilevel linear regression models to examine the association between internal migration and cognitive function trajectories. Results The study included 3876 Chinese adults aged ≥60 years at baseline. Compared with their rural non-migrant counterparts, migrants (n = 850) had higher levels of education and reported more interactions with family. Additionally, female migrants were more likely to participate in leisure activities. All cognitive function scores declined over time, but no significant differences were observed in rates of cognitive decline between migrants and non-migrants, regardless of sex. Female migrants exhibited significantly better performance in terms of total cognition (β = 0.77, P < .001) and mental status (β = 0.68, P < .001) than female non-migrants, whereas no inter-group difference was observed regarding memory (β = 0.09, P > .05). Among the male subjects, no significant differences in cognitive function levels were observed between migrants and non-migrants. A series of adjusted models revealed that psychosocial factors such as residing with children, caring for grandchildren, depression and participation in leisure activities partly explained the association between migration and cognition in women. Conclusions Rural-to-urban migration was positively associated with cognitive functions only in women. However, this pattern did not affect the rate of cognitive decline in either sex. Our findings provide directions for tailored interventions improving cognitive functions of older adults and rural non-migrating older adults, especially female non-migrants.

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Association between rural-to-urban migration and the cognitive aging trajectories of older Chinese adults: results from a prospective cohort analysis

10.21203/rs.2.20282/v3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jinzhao Xie ◽

Jing Liao ◽

Jing Zhang ◽

Jing Gu

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Cognitive Functions ◽

Leisure Activities ◽

Urban Migration ◽

Chinese Adults ◽

Female Migrants ◽

Rural To Urban Migration ◽

Older Chinese ◽

Older Chinese Adults

Abstract Background: Increasingly, older Chinese adults from rural areas are moving to urban areas to live with their children who have already migrated to these areas. However, few studies have examined this pattern of migration and its effects on cognitive function. We aimed to investigate the association between domestic rural-to-urban migration and the trajectories of cognitive function in older Chinese adults, as well as the factors contributing to these association.Methods: Data for this study were drawn from three waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Migrants were defined as participants who had rural hukou status (under China’s household registration system) but resided in an urban area. Cognitive functions were measured using an adapted Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination. We used multilevel linear regression models to examine the association between internal migration and cognitive function trajectories.Results: The study included 3,876 Chinese adults aged ≥60 years at baseline. Compared with their rural non-migrant counterparts, migrants (n = 850) had higher levels of education and reported more interactions with family. Additionally, female migrants were more likely to participate in leisure activities. All cognitive function scores declined over time, but no significant differences were observed in rates of cognitive decline between migrants and non-migrants, regardless of sex. Female migrants exhibited significantly better performance in terms of total cognition (β = 0.77, P < .001) and mental status (β=0.68, P < .001) than female non-migrants, whereas no inter-group difference was observed regarding memory (β= 0.09, P > .05). Among the male subjects, no significant differences in cognitive function levels were observed between migrants and non-migrants. A series of adjusted models revealed that psychosocial factors such as residing with children, caring for grandchildren, depression and participation in leisure activities partly explained the association between migration and cognition in women.Conclusions: Rural-to-urban migration was positively associated with cognitive functions only in women. However, this pattern did not affect the rate of cognitive decline in either sex. Our findings provide directions for tailored interventions improving cognitive functions of older adults and rural non-migrating older adults, especially female non-migrants.

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Association between rural-to-urban migration and the cognitive aging trajectories of older Chinese adults: results from a prospective cohort analysis

10.21203/rs.2.20282/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jinzhao Xie ◽

Jing Liao ◽

Jing Zhang ◽

Jing Gu

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Function ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Cognitive Functions ◽

Leisure Activities ◽

Urban Migration ◽

Chinese Adults ◽

Female Migrants ◽

Rural To Urban Migration ◽

Older Chinese ◽

Older Chinese Adults

Abstract Background: Increasingly, older Chinese adults from rural areas are moving to urban areas to live with their children who have already migrated to these areas. However, few studies have examined this pattern of migration and its effects on cognitive function. We aimed to investigate the association between domestic rural-to-urban migration and the trajectories of cognitive function in older Chinese adults, as well as the factors contributing to these association.Methods: Data for this study were drawn from three waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Migrants were defined as participants who had rural hukou status (under China’s household registration system) but resided in an urban area. Cognitive functions were measured using an adapted Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination. We used multilevel linear regression models to examine the association between internal migration and cognitive function trajectories.Results: The study included 3,876 Chinese adults aged ≥60 years at baseline. Compared with their rural non-migrant counterparts, migrants (n = 850) had higher levels of education and reported more interactions with family. Additionally, female migrants were more likely to participate in leisure activities. All cognitive function scores declined over time, but no significant differences were observed in rates of cognitive decline between migrants and non-migrants, regardless of sex. Female migrants exhibited significantly better performance in terms of total cognition (b = 0.77, P < .001) and mental status (b =0.68, P < .001) than female non-migrants, whereas no inter-group difference was observed regarding memory (b = 0.09, P > .05). Among the male subjects, no significant differences in cognitive function levels were observed between migrants and non-migrants. A series of adjusted models revealed that psychosocial factors such as residing with children, caring for grandchildren, depression and participation in leisure activities partly explained the association between migration and cognition in women.Conclusions: Rural-to-urban migration was positively associated with cognitive functions only in women. However, this pattern did not affect the rate of cognitive decline in either sex. Our findings indicate that interventions are warranted to increase the cognitive functions of male migrants and rural non-migrating older adults.

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Effects of rural-to-urban migration on the cognitive aging trajectories of older Chinese adults: results from a prospective cohort analysis

10.21203/rs.2.20282/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jinzhao Xie ◽

Jing Liao ◽

Jing Zhang ◽

Jing Gu

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Function ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Cognitive Functions ◽

Leisure Activities ◽

Urban Migration ◽

Chinese Adults ◽

Female Migrants ◽

Rural To Urban Migration ◽

Older Chinese ◽

Older Chinese Adults

Abstract Background Increasingly, rural older Chinese adults are moving to urban to live with their children who have migrated to urban. However, few studies have examined this pattern of migration and its effects on cognitive function. Our aim was to investigate the effects of domestic rural-to-urban migration on the cognitive function trajectories of older Chinese adults, as well as the explanatory factors for these effects.Methods The data were drawn from three waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Migrants were defined as participants who had a rural Hukou status (the household registration system of China) but lived in an urban area throughout the study and follow-up period. Cognitive functions were measured using an adapted Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination. We performed multilevel linear regression models to examine the association of internal migration and cognitive function trajectories.Results 3,876 Chinese adults aged ≥60 years at baseline were included. Migrants (n = 850) had higher levels of education and reported more interactions with family than their rural non-migrant counterparts. Additionally, female migrants were more likely to participate in leisure activities. All cognitive function scores declined over time, but no significant differences were observed in the rates of cognitive decline between migrants and non-migrants, regardless of sex. Female migrants exhibited significantly better performances in terms of total cognition ( β = 0.77, P < .001) and mental status ( β =0.68, P < .001) than female non-migrants, whereas no inter-group difference was observed in memory ( β = 0.09, P > .05). No significant differences in cognitive function levels were observed between male migrants and male non-migrants. A series of adjusted models revealed that psychosocial factors such as residence with children, caring grandchildren and participation in leisure activities partly explained the association between migration and cognition in women.Conclusion Rural-to-urban migration was positively associated with cognitive function only in women, but did not affect the rate of cognitive decline in either sex. The findings indicate that interventions are warranted to increase the cognitive functions of male migrants and rural, non-migrating older adults.

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Speech Perception in Noise Is Associated With Different Cognitive Abilities in Chinese-Speaking Older Adults With and Without Hearing Aids

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.640300 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Yuan Chen ◽

Lena L. N. Wong ◽

Shaina Shing Chan ◽

Joannie Yu

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Working Memory ◽

Executive Function ◽

Speech Perception ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Verbal Learning ◽

Chinese Adults ◽

Speech Perception In Noise ◽

Older Chinese ◽

Older Chinese Adults

Chinese-speaking older adults usually do not perceive a hearing problem until audiometric thresholds exceed 45 dB HL, and the audiometric thresholds of the average hearing-aid (HA) user often exceed 60 dB HL. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between cognitive and hearing functions (measured as audiometric or speech reception thresholds) in older Chinese adults with HAs and with untreated hearing loss (HL). Participants were 49 Chinese older adults who used HAs and had moderate to severe HL (HA group), and 46 older Chinese who had mild to moderately severe HL but did not use HAs (untreated; or UT group). Multiple linear regression analysis was employed to evaluate how well age, education level, audiometric thresholds, and speech perception in noise were related to performance on general cognitive function, working memory, executive function, attention, and verbal learning tests. Results showed that speech perception in noise alone accounted for 13–25% of the variance in general cognitive function, working memory, and executive function in the UT group, and 9–21% of the variance in general cognitive function and verbal learning in the HA group (i.e., medium effect sizes). Audiometric thresholds did not explain any proportion of the variance in cognitive functioning in the HA or UT group. Thus, speech perception in noise accounts for more variance in cognitive performance than audiometric thresholds, and is significantly associated with different cognitive functions in older Chinese adults with HAs and with untreated HL.

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Depressive Symptoms Among Rural “Left-Behind” Older Adults: A Test of the High Outmigration Penalty Hypothesis

The Journals of Gerontology Series B ◽

10.1093/geronb/gbab040 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Qian Song ◽

Haowei Wang ◽

Jeffery A Burr

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Older Adult ◽

Psychological Health ◽

Economic Conditions ◽

Adult Density ◽

Chinese Adults ◽

Older Chinese ◽

Older Chinese Adults

Abstract Objectives We investigated whether there was a “high outmigration penalty” for psychological health among older adults in rural China by assessing 2 potential community stressors associated with major sociodemographic changes in the community—increased outmigration and older adult density. We also investigated whether disparities in community economic conditions moderated the association between community stressors and depressive symptoms. Methods We employed 3 waves of data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011–2015), using multilevel negative binomial models to address our research questions. Results Our results supported the “high outmigration penalty” hypothesis. Older adults living in low-income rural communities may experience an aggravated mental health penalty compared to those living in high-income rural communities. Higher older adult density was also associated with more depressive symptoms but only in less wealthy communities. Community differences in economic conditions were key factors buffering the high outmigration disadvantage associated with the psychological health of older Chinese adults. Discussion Rural outmigration may have deepened existing intercommunity health disparities among older adults. Policies should be developed to address community-level factors negatively associated with the well-being of older Chinese adults living in high outmigration and less wealthy rural communities.

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