The impact of years of schooling on dementia: Panel data evidence from Europe

Abstract

Dementia is a group of neurodegenerative disorders with multifactorial and complex etiologies. While a specific pathway is not identified, a number of associations have been reported in an attempt to understand the complexity of the condition. There is robust evidence both from cohort and case-control studies regarding the possibly protective effects of years of schooling on developing dementia later on in life. While theories exist why increased educational attainments may protect our cognitive abilities, the relevant literature suffers from a gap in formal empirical cross-country evidence. Recent literature on clinical dementia also suggests a role for cold exposure in development of dementia in the old age, possibly creating a geographic gradient between colder and warmer countries. This study aims to empirically test the relationship between years of schooling and dementia prevalence rates in the 28 EU countries (UK included) with further focus on climate differentials, using panel data estimation. Results from this study provide evidence in favor of a significant negative relationship between years of schooling and dementia prevalence rates in the EU-28. Climate differentials, on the other hand, only provide a weak association. Further research on broader geographic areas can shed more light on this possible association with broader range of temperatures observed.