Life-Course Socioeconomic Position and Mild Cognitive Impairment in Midlife: Evidence from the 1958 British Birth Cohort

Background Dementia has been the leading cause of death in the UK since 2015. Increasing evidence supports an association between socioeconomic position (SEP) and dementia onset in later life. However, limited studies have examined how life-course SEP influences the development of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), an intermediate state potentially preceding dementia. Therefore, the present study aims to examine the relationship between life-course SEP and MCI amongst adults aged 50 years in Great Britain.Methods We employed data from the National Child Development Study (NCDS), also known as the 1958 British Birth Cohort, to determine the associations between SEP and MCI in 6590 participants. We categorised life-course measures of SEP as stable high/low or moving upward/downward over the life course. We assessed MCI at age 50 using one standard deviation below the averaged combined scores from all cognitive tests available. We then used binary logistic regression to estimate the longitudinal associations between life-course SEP and MCI.Results Relative to those of a high SEP across the life course, participants who moved upward, downward, or remained at a low SEP were significantly associated with 25% (95% CI 1.02-1.54, p = 0.035), 70% (95% CI 1.27-2.27, p < 0.001), and 85% (95% CI 1.50-2.29, p < 0.001), respectively, higher odds of MCI, independent of all selected covariates.Conclusions Lower life-course SEP was associated with significantly higher odds of MCI onset in middle life within the NCDS cohort. Public health policies targeting cognitive impairment should encompass a life-course approach to reduce socioeconomic inequalities.