Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38902637›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2024

Cognitive performance trends among European older adults: exploring variations across cohorts, gender, and educational levels (2007-2017).

Johan Rehnberg, Stefan Fors, Katherine J Ford, Anja K Leist

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Johan RehnbergAging Research Center, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, Tomtebodavägen 18A, Solna, Solna, SE-171 65, Sweden. johan.rehnberg@ki.se.
Stefan ForsAging Research Center, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, Tomtebodavägen 18A, Solna, Solna, SE-171 65, Sweden.
Katherine J FordDepartment of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, K1S 5B6, Canada.
Anja K LeistDepartment of Social Sciences, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, 4366, Luxembourg.

Funding

European Research Council
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThis study explores recent cohort trends in cognitive performance among older Europeans from 2007 to 2017, addressing three key questions: (1) Did cognitive performance improve universally and across the performance distribution during this period? (2) Did these improvements occur across educational levels and for both men and women? (3) Can established risk factors explain these performance gains?

methodsUsing data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) across 12 European countries, we assessed immediate recall, delayed recall, and verbal fluency in individuals aged 60 to 94 in both 2007 and 2017 (n = 32 773). Differences between the two time points were estimated with linear mixed effects regression models and quantile regression.

resultsCognitive performance improved in all age groups, across educational levels, and for both men and women between 2007 and 2017. Notably, improvements were more pronounced at the upper end of the performance distribution for delayed recall and verbal fluency. Education explained approximately 20% of the observed improvements. Risk factors did not explain the observed improvements.

conclusionsEuropean cohorts of both younger-old and older adults continue to exhibit improvements in cognitive performance. Variation in the size of the cohort improvements across the performance distributions in delayed recall and in verbal fluency may contribute to growing inequalities in cognitive outcomes. Future research should further investigate the potential heterogeneity in cognitive performance gains.

trial registrationNot applicable.

Indexed as

CognitionEducational StatusAgedAged, 80 and overCohort StudiesEuropeFemaleHealth SurveysHumansMaleMiddle AgedRisk FactorsSex FactorsCohort improvementDelayed recallFlynn effectImmediate recallVerbal fluency

Identifiers

PMID38902637
PMCPMC11188163

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.