Association of childhood residential change with later life memory function and rate of decline in the US Health and Retirement Study

Abstract

Background

Childhood residential change may affect later-life memory function and risk for Alzheimer's disease. However, few studies have examined this relationship, particularly in minoritized racial/ethnic groups.

Objective

To assess the association between number of residences and moving due to financial difficulties in childhood with memory trajectories in later life.

Methods

Data were from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study. Childhood residential change was measured by the self-reported number of residences before age 16 (0–1, 2, 3, 4 or more; n = 4704). Moving due to financial difficulties before age 16 was categorized as yes versus no (n = 4651). Memory function was measured using composite memory z-scores incorporating direct and proxy assessments from 1996–2016. We utilized mixed-effects linear regression models with subject-specific random slopes and intercepts adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics to estimate associations between residential change and memory overall and by race/ethnicity and parental education.

Results

The mean age at baseline was 57.6 ± 6.1 years, 78.7% self-identified as non-Hispanic (NH) White, 15.7% as NH-Black, and 5.6% as Other/Unknown. Descriptively, NH-Black adults reported fewer residential changes and had lower baseline memory performance compared to NH-White participants. More frequent residential change in childhood was associated with a slower rate of memory decline but not baseline memory function. Moving due to financial difficulties during childhood was not associated with initial memory levels or rates of memory decline. We did not observe effect modification by race/ethnicity or parental education.

Conclusions

Results suggest that childhood residential change may contribute to later life memory trajectories.