Sensory impairments and cognitive impairment among Mexican American older adults: nativity differences

Objectives: To examine the associations between sensory impairments and cognitive impairment (CI), and how these associations differ by nativity over 12 years of follow-up among Mexican American 75 years and older with moderate to high cognitive function at baseline. Method: Dual sensory impairment (DSI) included vision impairment (VI), difficulty in recognizing a friend at arm’s length, across the room, or across the street); and hearing impairment (HI), inability to hear and understand a speech without seeing a person talk, in a quiet room. Participants were grouped into No VI-No HI, HI only, VI only, and Yes VI-Yes HI by nativity. CI was defined as scoring <21 on the Mini-Mental State Examination. Results: US-born and foreign-born participantsin the Yes VI-Yes HI group and US-born in the VI only group had greater odds of CI over time than those without VI and without HI (OR = 2.64, 95%CL = 1.23–5.68, OR = 5.71, 95%CL = 2.78–11.73; and OR = 2.09, 95%CL = 1.28–3.43, respectively), after controlling for covariates. Conclusion: US-born and foreign-born Mexican American older adults with DSI were at high risk of developing CI over time. Addressing hearing and vision impairments may counteract CI over time.