Cognitive aging in Canadian women and men: an exploration of environmental contributors and interactions with individual factors

Age-related decline in cognitive performance is common among older adults; however, not all adults show the same magnitude decline, and indeed, some adults maintain cognitive performance in late life. The intent of the proposed study is to examine cognitive changes among older adult participants, using data collected at Baseline and Follow-up 1. We will characterize cognitive changes over time and whether they are similar across cognitive domains, across men and women, and across younger old and older old participants. We will use objective environmental variables to determine to degree to which urban environmental factors (e.g., pollution levels, access to green space and walkable neighborhoods) predict the amount of cognitive aging experienced at the individual level. We will evaluate whether individual-level variables (e.g., demographic factors, health status, health behaviours) modify the association between the environment and cognitive aging.