Social support has been shown to have positive effects on cognition and other health outcomes later in life, but the degree of social support might not be equal across a country.
A baseline for adjusting social support
Does social support availability promote cognitive function in middle- and older-aged adults? The project examines if functional social support availability is associated with cognitive function in middle and older aged adults. The project will draw upon data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), a national study of 45-85 year old persons in Canada. Functional social support includes the level of companionship, emotional support, and instrumental assistance (example, someone who can take you to the doctor or shopping when needed) available to people. Two types of cognitive function, memory and executive function will be measured.
The research team will employ a range of analyses in this study, including spatial analysis to identify geographical areas that could benefit from targeted social support interventions. The findings will be reported to policymakers and advocacy groups, in addition to researchers.
