Association of neighborhood‐level socioeconomic advantage with cognition and dementia risk factors in an Australian cohort

Abstract Background Residing in areas of low socioeconomic advantage is associated with increased risk dementia 1 and brain pathology 2,3 . Given the long insidious course pathologies, it critical to establish effect ‘exposomic’ factors midlife understand which groups people are particularly vulnerable. Therefore, objective this study was examine whether cognitive performance or differed according neighborhood‐level cognitively normal middle‐aged people. Methods Our sample comprised 4798 participants from Healthy Brain Project, an online cohort community‐dwelling Australians aged 40‐70 years. Socioeconomic computed by matching participants’ residential address Australian Bureau Statistics’ Index Relative Advantage Disadvantage (IRSAD), assigning each participant a decile score (10 being most advantaged). Scores were related estimated using CAIDE measured Cogstate Brief Battery (CBB) linear regression models. Results Of (mean age±SD 56±7 years, 26% male), 2762 (58%) classified as living within area high neighbourhood (IRSAD scores ≥ 8 th decile), 1296 resided rural regional (27%), 984 identified “non‐European” (21%). Each unit increase neighborhood lower (β±SE= ‐0.088±0.024, p <0.001), following adjustments for race rurality, better memory 0.084±0.024, age, sex, race, education, rurality. An interaction observed differences between levels (comparing above below decile) larger at older ages higher (Figure 1). There no association attention. Conclusions In cohort, superior scores. Efforts factors, relation reducing negative impacts disadvantage, needed curtail growing burden dementia.