On the relationship between economic conditions around the time of birth and late life cognitive abilities: Evidence from Taiwan.
This study investigates the casual linkage between economic conditions around the time of birth and late life cognitive abilities. The zero-inflated negative binomial and multivariate logistic regression models were used to evaluate the direct and indirect effect of economic conditions around the time of birth on late life cognitive abilities, respectively. Both direct and indirect effects of economic conditions around the time of birth on late life cognitive abilities were identified. The relative risk ratio in adjusted mean scores of the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (a means to measure cognitive impairment) indicates that being born in an economic recession year (experiencing economic recession during the year prior to birth) increases the risk of difficulties with cognition by 17.40% (11.70%). Being born in an economic recession year decreases the likelihood of high educational attainment in later life by an odds ratio of 0.962.
Department of Senior Citizen Service Management, National Taichung University of Science and Technology, 193, Sec. 1, Sanmin Road, Taichung 40343, Taiwan. Electronic address: chenwen@nutc.edu.tw.
Wen-Yi
WY
Chen
D000368:Aged; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D057172:Economic Recession / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D059066:Gross Domestic Product / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
Cognitive ability; Cumulative risk hypothesis; Developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis; Early life conditions; Fetal hypothesis; Zero-inflated negative binomial model