Environment/Climate Change
Early Life Neighborhood Built Environment and Late Life Cognition Justin Farmer* Justin Farmer Peter James Laura D. Kubzansky Rajarshi Mukherjee Ian W. Tang William Kessler Laura T. Germine Marc. G. Weisskopf
Background: Studies suggest living in areas with high walkability and access to greenspace promotes healthier cognition in older adults. However, most studies only consider current exposure to these factors. It is largely unknown if early life exposures are associated with late life cognition. Methods: We geocoded childhood (mean age=7) residences of participants in the St. Louis Baby Tooth Study (n = 2,956). Walkability was measured as a composite of mean Z-scores of intersection density and point of interest density from a 1968 street map, and population density from 1960 U.S. Census. Greenspace was measured as mean Z-scores of park density, proportion of census tract composed of parks, and distance to nearest park from the 1968 street map. Higher scores indicated greater walkability and more greenspace. Late life (mean age=63) cognition was measured via a battery of online cognitive tests (TestMyBrain). Linear mixed effects models estimated associations between greenspace/walkability, their components, and cognition, with random intercepts to account for individual and neighborhood clustering. Results: Neither composite score (early-life walkability, greenspace) was associated with late life cognition. Models separately looking at each exposure component found intersection density was positively ( 0.04, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.08) and population density was negatively ( -0.06, 95% CI: -0.11, -0.00) associated with late life cognition. Discussion: While composites of early life greenspace and walkability were unassociated with late life cognition, two walkability components, intersection and population density, appeared suggestive, but in opposite directions. The nature of the component associations may be why the composite appears unassociated. Conclusion: Components of early-life walkability may be relevant for late life cognitive health. While often measured as a composite, it may be important to evaluate associations with individual aspects of this metric.
