Does the Association Between Educational Attainment and Cognition Differ Between Indigenous Language Speakers and Non-Indigenous Language Speakers in Mexico?

Abstract

Objectives

Indigenous populations in Mexico, comprising roughly one-fifth of the population, face significant unique cognitive health challenges in older adulthood. This study examines cognitive performance differences between Indigenous and non-Indigenous language speakers and evaluates whether the cognitive benefits of educational attainment differs between these populations.

Methods

We analyzed the 2018 Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS, n = 16,199), a nationally representative study of Mexicans 50+. We assessed the association between educational attainment and cognitive performance, both general and domain-specific, for Indigenous and non-Indigenous language speakers.

Findings

While Indigenous language speakers scored lower overall, they experienced significantly greater improvement with more years of education in Verbal Learning, Visual Scanning, and Visuospatial Ability.

Conclusions

Increasing educational attainment may improve cognitive functioning in Mexico, but especially for Indigenous populations. Further research is needed to explore mechanisms driving these stronger returns for Indigenous populations and to inform culturally responsive interventions and policies.