title: Racial differences in the association of education with physical and cognitive function in older blacks and whites.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Few studies have explicitly tested whether the health disadvantage among older blacks is consistent across the entire range of education. We examined racial differences in the cross-sectional association of education with physical and cognitive function performance in older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants included over 9500 blacks and whites, aged ≥ 65 years, from the Chicago Health and Aging Project {64% black, 60% women, mean age = 73.0 (standard deviation [SD] = 6.9), mean education = 12.2 (SD = 3.5)}. Physical function was assessed using 3 physical performance tests, and cognitive function was assessed with 4 performance-based tests; composite measures were created and used in analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In multiple regression models that controlled for age, age-squared, sex, and race, and their interactions, whites and those with higher education (>12 years) performed significantly better on both functional health measures. The association of education with each indicator of functional health was similar in older blacks and whites with low levels (≤ 12 years) of education. However, at higher levels of education, there was a significantly more positive association between years of education and these functional health outcomes among blacks than whites.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results from this biracial population-based sample in the Midwest suggest that blacks may enjoy greater returns in functional health for additional education beyond high school.
authors.affiliation: Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, 600 South Paulina, Suite 1038, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. lbarnes1@rush.edu
authors.forename: Lisa L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Liesi E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Hebert
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Scherr
authors.forename: Denis A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: Carlos F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Mendes de Leon
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D002641:Chicago; D003071:Cognition; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D009536:Niacinamide / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D010879:Piperazines; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D044465:White People
chemical_list: C523280:AD 101; D010879:Piperazines; D009536:Niacinamide