Abstract
Socioeconomic Disparities in Practice Effects in Population-Based Longitudinal Studies of Cognitive Function among Mexican Older Adults
Amy Werry-McFarlin, PhD, Assistant Professor, Neuropsychology, UTHSA
Determining the psychometric properties of population-based cognitive assessments is needed. Because these assessment tools were developed using relatively homogenous, educated, white, monolingual populations, relatively little is known about the longitudinal properties of these measures in diverse populations. This pilot will examine ‘practice effects,’ i.e., whether/how participants learn tests applied repeatedly over time. Ignoring ‘normal practice effects’ makes it difficult to assess abnormality. In addition, practice effects studies are limited in Spanish language instruments. This psychometric property will be examined in large, national representative samples of Mexican older adults.(6-9) Aim 1: Identify practice effects for the longitudinal cognitive batteries in the MHAS and Mex-Cog/HCAP surveys, by cognitive task applied, and determine the relative contribution of sociodemographic variables (e.g., age, sex, education, occupation, rurality) to the variance of practice effects. Aim 2: Isolate clinically meaningful change in cognitive test performance among Mexican older adults independent of potential practice effects in the longitudinal assessments. The project will use data on MHAS participants ages 50+ (7 waves in 2001-2024 with basic cognition measures), and in Mex-Cog (2 waves completed in 2016 and 2021, one more planned in 2026, with a longer/deeper cognition measure battery). Innovation, impact, and contribution to CAPAS goals. The project will use national samples data, with long follow-ups, comparable and harmonized with the U.S. studies and others worldwide. Thus, learning practice effects and how to estimate reliable change in longitudinal cognitive assessments is quite impactful, as the results will be disseminated for applicability in the MHAS and other national studies including for the Health and Retirement Study and its Hispanic oversample. The pilot will contribute to Dr. Werry-McFarlin’s goals of better understanding longitudinal, serial neuropsychological assessment in diverse populations, setting her up for an R01 grant to compare these effects in the US-Mexico borderlands and among Mexican immigrants.