Table 2.
Racial/Ethnic and Nativity Cognitive Health Life Expectancies Among Women at Age 50 by Educational Attainment
| Level of education | Differences by education | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than HS | HS | Some college or more | HS (−) less than HS | Some college or more (−) less than HS | |
| Whites | |||||
| Total life expectancy | 29.0 | 33.8 | 35.5 | 4.8* | 6.5* |
| Cognitively healthy | 20.5 | 28.1 | 31.1 | 7.7* | 10.6* |
| CIND | 6.3 | 4.3 | 3.2 | −2.0* | −3.0* |
| Dementia | 2.3 | 1.4 | 1.2 | −0.9* | −1.1* |
| % Cognitively healthy | 0.71 | 0.83 | 0.88 | 0.13* | 0.17* |
| Blacks | |||||
| Total life expectancy | 28.1 | 31.3 | 33.1 | 3.2* | 5.0* |
| Cognitively healthy | 11.0 | 19.4 | 25.0 | 8.4* | 14.0* |
| CIND | 11.5 | 8.5 | 5.5 | −2.9* | −5.9* |
| Dementia | 5.6 | 3.4 | 2.5 | −2.3* | −3.1* |
| % Cognitively healthy | 0.39 | 0.62 | 0.76 | 0.23* | 0.37* |
| U.S. Hispanics | |||||
| Total life expectancy | 32.7 | 35.1 | 36.7 | 2.5* | 4.0* |
| Cognitively healthy | 15.6 | 25.3 | 31.2 | 9.6* | 15.5* |
| CIND | 10.8 | 7.2 | 5.1 | −3.6* | −5.7* |
| Dementia | 6.3 | 2.7 | 0.5 | −3.6* | −5.8* |
| % Cognitively healthy | 0.48 | 0.72 | 0.85 | 0.24* | 0.37* |
| FB Hispanics | |||||
| Total life expectancy | 35.9 | 37.0 | 38.0 | 1.1 | 2.1* |
| Cognitively healthy | 15.8 | 26.1 | 27.3 | 10.3* | 11.5* |
| CIND | 12.5 | 7.6 | 7.1 | −4.9* | −5.4* |
| Dementia | 7.6 | 3.3 | 3.5 | −4.3* | −4.1* |
| % Cognitively healthy | 0.44 | 0.71 | 0.72 | 0.27* | 0.28* |
Notes: CIND = cognitive impairment/no dementia; FB = foreign-born; HS = high school. Source: Health and Retirement Study, 1998–2014. National Health Interview Survey Linked Mortality, 1999–2014 (with mortality follow-up to 2015). Ref = Less than HS.
*p < .05.