Neighborhood ‘Disamenities’: local barriers and cognitive function among Black and white aging adults

BACKGROUND: This study examined the association between cognitive function and three neighborhood ‘disamenities’ that may pose local barriers to utilizing community resources and increase risk for cognitive decline. METHOD: Using national data from 21,165 urban- and suburban-dwelling Black and white adults (mean age: 67 years) in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study, we assessed global cognitive function through a factor score of five cognitive screening tests. General Additive Mixed Models (GAMM) tested whether residing in areas with more polluting sites, highways, and limited walkability was associated with worse cognitive function. RESULTS: Limited walkability and the presence of polluting sites had a significant negative association with cognitive function after controlling for individual and neighborhood factors. CONCLUSION: Neighborhood disamenities may be linked to cognitive function among aging residents. Identifying neighborhood factors that pose barriers to accessing community resources may inform upstream policy applications to reduce risk for cognitive decline. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-023-15026-x.