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Introduction:To examine the independent association of body mass index (BMI) in early adulthood with dementia incidence among men and women. Methods:We studied 5104 older adults from the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) and the Health, Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) study. We imputed early adulthood and midlife BMI using a pooled parent cohort with complete adult lifespan coverage and previously established methods. Dementia was ascertained using criteria such as neuropsychological test battery, medical records, and dementia-related drug use. Pooled logistic regression (PLR) models were used.Results: Compared to women with normal BMI in early adulthood, the odds of dementia were higher among both overweight (odds ratio [OR] = 1.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.31 to 2.54) and obese (OR = 2.45; 95% CI = 1.47 to 4.06) women, independent of mid-and late-life BMI. Similar relationship was observed in men. Conclusions:With the growing obesity epidemic among US adults, efforts aimed at reducing dementia may need to begin obesity prevention and treatment early in the life course.

Little research has investigated the long-term relationship between low wages and memory decline, despite the growing share of low-wage workers in the US labor market. Here, we examine whether cumulative exposure to low wages over 12 years in midlife is associated with memory decline in later life. Using 1992-2016 data from the Health and Retirement Study, we analyzed data from 2,879 individuals born 1936-1941 using confounder-adjusted linear mixed-effects models. Low-wage was defined as hourly wage lower than two-thirds of the federal median wage for the corresponding year and categorized into ‘never’, ‘intermittent’, and ‘sustained’ based on wages earned from 1992-2004. Memory function was measured at each visit from 2004-2016 by a memory composite score. The confounder-adjusted annual rate of memory decline among ‘never’ low-wage earners was -0.12 standard units, 95% CI: [-0.13, -0.10]. Compared with this, memory decline among workers with sustained earning of low midlife wages was significantly faster (βtime*sustained:-0.014, 95% CI: [-0.02, -0.01]), corresponding to an annual rate of -0.13 standard units for this group. Sustained low-wage earning in midlife was significantly associated with a downward trajectory of memory performance in older age. Enhancing social policies to protect low-wage workers may be especially beneficial for their cognitive health.

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Background: Little research has investigated the long-term relationship between low wages and memory decline, despite the growing share of low-wage workers in the US labor market. We examined whether cumulative exposure to low wages over 12 years in midlife is associated with memory decline in later life. Method:We used 1992-2016 data from the Health and Retirement Study, a biennial longitudinal survey of nationally representative samples of Americans aged 50+. We analyzed data from 3,803 individuals born 1936-1941 using confounder-adjusted linear mixed-effects models. Low-wage was defined as hourly wage lower than two-thirds of the federal median wage for the corresponding year. Low-wage exposure history was categorized into 'never' , 'intermittent' , and 'sustained' based on wages earned from 1992 to 2004. Memory function was measured at each visit from 2004 to 2016 by a memory composite score; on average, participants completed 4.8 memory assessments from 2004-2016. Estimates were obtained in the total sample and within strata of sex (N males = 1,913, N females = 1,890).Result: At the beginning of cognitive follow-up (2004) our sample was on average 65 years old with a mean memory score of 1.15 standard units. The confounderadjusted annual rate of memory decline among workers who never earned low wages was -0.12 standard units, 95% CI: [-0.14, -0.10]. Compared with this, memory decline among workers with sustained earning of low midlife wages was significantly faster (β time*sustained :-0.012, 95% CI: [-0.02, -0.01]), corresponding to an annual rate of -0.13 standard units for this group. Put into terms of "excess cognitive aging", the cognitive aging experienced by workers with sustained exposure to low midlife wages over a 10year period is what workers never earning low-wages would experience in 11 years. Similar associations were found among males and females. No significant association between intermittent earning of low wages and memory decline was observed. Conclusion:Sustained earning of low wages in midlife was significantly associated with a downward trajectory of memory performance in older age. Enhancing social policies