A new study led by Rutgers reveals that historical educational policies have a lasting impact on cognitive outcomes and dementia risk in later life, highlighting the importance of educational equity for all racial groups.
Historical policies shaping educational attainment have enduring benefits for later-life memory and dementia risk, according to a recent study by Rutgers University researchers. The research, published in the journal Epidemiology, explores the relationship between state-mandated schooling and cognitive performance decades later.
Led by Min Hee Kim, an assistant professor at Rutgers, the study compared the education years mandated by various state policies and their cognitive outcomes in older adults.
“Policies to increase the quantity or quality of schooling now are likely to have long-term benefits on cognitive outcomes,” Kim said in a news release.
The team’s research indicates that education is a predictor of better cognitive performance, improved memory function, increased life expectancy and a delayed onset of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
Kim emphasized the value of policies that improve schooling quality and equitability, underscoring the broader implications for public health.
There is a notable gap in equitable research on this topic, particularly regarding the differing impacts on Black and white older adults. Historical inconsistencies in enforcing educational mandates for Black children in the United States mean that previous findings often did not fully capture these disparities.
From 2022 to 2024, Kim, then a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, led an extensive examination of data from over 20,000 older Black and white adults across various states.
The findings showed that increased education due to mandatory schooling laws significantly enhanced overall cognitive performance in later life, including memory and verbal fluency, both of which are critical in determining dementia risk.
The study also highlighted the compounded impact on Black Americans who were educated under a system affected by segregation and racial discrimination.
“Investment in education is important for health equity,” added Kim. “Education provides similar benefits for later-life cognitive outcomes across racial groups, but the potential impact of improvements to education access and quality is likely to be larger for Black Americans because a greater proportion of this population is exposed to limited educational resources.”
This investigation builds on previous research that correlates high-quality early education with lower risks of dementia later in life. The research is significant for its potential to guide future educational reforms aimed at mitigating long-term health disparities.