2026-03-19 コロンビア大学
＜関連情報＞
- https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/news/financial-decline-linked-faster-memory-aging-older-adults
- https://academic.oup.com/aje/advance-article/doi/10.1093/aje/kwag054/8524840
中高年層における経済的幸福度の変化と記憶機能の低下 Changes in financial well-being and memory function and decline in middle-aged and older adults
Katrina L Kezios ,Jordan Vo ,Zihan Chen ,Sarah Weber ,Allison E Aiello ,Adina Zeki Al Hazzouri
American Journal of Epidemiology Published:16 March 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwag054
Abstract
Many older adults experience financial insecurity. While prior studies link lower later-life SES, financial stress, and financial shocks to worse cognitive outcomes, limited research has examined how dynamic changes in financial well-being—a multidimensional measure of financial circumstances—influence cognitive aging. Here, we examined associations between changes in financial well-being and memory outcomes among 7676 adults aged 50+ in the Health and Retirement Study (“HRS,” 2010–2020). We developed and validated an 8-item index of poor financial well-being using existing HRS survey items aligned with domains from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Financial Well-Being Scale. In confounder-adjusted linear mixed-effects models, we estimated associations of average financial well-being and significant improvements or worsening in financial well-being over four years with changes in memory z-scores calculated biennially from 2016-2020. Each 1-point worsening in average financial well-being was associated with poorer memory function (β = -0.009 SD, 95% CI, -0.020 to 0.003) and accelerated decline (β = -0.007 SD/year, 95% CI, -0.010 to -0.003). Associations were largest for participants with significant worsening of financial well-being and for those aged ≥65 at baseline. Results were robust to sensitivity analyses addressing potential reverse causation and attrition. These findings suggest that midlife and later-life declines in financial well-being may contribute to accelerated cognitive aging.
