Beyond Education: Social and Behavioral Factors Shaping Cognitive Function In Older Korean Americans Living In Subsidized Senior Housing

Background and Purpose: Cognitive decline is a major public health concern among older adults, with significant implications for daily functioning, independence, and quality of life. Educational attainment has long been recognized as a key determinant of cognitive aging, often conceptualized within the framework of cognitive reserve. However, education alone does not fully account for variability in cognitive outcomes, suggesting the importance of additional modifiable social and behavioral factors. Focusing on older Korean Americans living in low-income senior housing, a group known to experience socioeconomic and health disadvantages, we examined how social and behavioral factors (network size, network diversity, and participation in cognitively stimulating activities) are associated with cognitive function beyond education, as well as how they interact with educational attainment. We anticipated that cognitive disadvantages associated with low education would be attenuated through large social networks, diversities in network members, and active participation in cognitively stimulating activities.

Methods: Data were obtained from surveys conducted in 2025–2026 with 603 older Korean American residents of subsidized senior housing in the Los Angeles area (M age = 80.2 years, SD = 6.50). The initial model examined the direct effect of education on cognitive function, followed by analyses testing the direct effects of each social and behavioral factor, as well as their interactions with education.

Results: We found a significant effect of education on cognitive function (β = .12, p < .01). After controlling for education, each of the three social and behavioral factors showed a significant direct effect on cognitive function. Specifically, individuals with larger social networks (β = .20, p < .01), greater network diversity (β = .10, p < .01), and more frequent participation in cognitively stimulating activities (β = .12, p < .01) demonstrated better cognitive function. We also found significant interactions between education and network size (β = −.08, p < .05) and between education and cognitively stimulating activities (β = −.09, p < .05). Simple slope analyses indicated that the positive effect of education on cognitive function was attenuated at higher levels of social network size and participation in cognitively stimulating activities. These findings suggest that social networks and cognitively stimulating activities may compensate for lower educational attainment in relation to cognitive function.

Conclusions and Implications: Consistent with prior research, higher levels of education were associated with better cognitive functioning. However, network size, network diversity, and engagement in cognitively stimulating activities each demonstrated cognitive benefits beyond the effect of education. Importantly, the observed interaction effects suggest that these social and behavioral resources may compensate for lower educational attainment, attenuating disparities in cognitive outcomes. These findings highlight the value of promoting social integration and cognitively stimulating engagement as a strategy to support cognitive health in later life, particularly for individuals with limited formal education. Programs designed to expand social networks, foster diverse social connections, and encourage participation in cognitively engaging activities may be especially beneficial in low-income senior housing settings.