Cognitive factor structure of the NACC UDS-3 neuropsychological battery across ethno-racial, linguistic, and cognitive status groups

Authors:
Publisher website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Objective: There are diagnostic disparities in dementia across ethno-racial communities. The potential contribution of measurement bias in cognitive assessments was investigated by examining the factor structure and measurement invariance of the Uniform Data Set neuropsychological battery (UDS3-NB) across ethno-racial groups as well as Spanish and English speakers along a cognitive continuum. Methods: Data were from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC) and the 1Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (1FLADRC). Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted in NACC (n = 29,462; M age = 71.0, SD = 10.4; 58.5% female, M education = 15.8, SD = 3.0; 68.6% non-Hispanic White, 5.3% -primary Spanish speaking) to determine the UDS3-NB factor structure. Measurement invariance was tested in NACC and separately within 1FLADRC (n = 829; M age = 69.9, SD = 8.5; 56.5% female; M education = 14.6, SD = 3.5 years; 33.3% non-Hispanic White, 33.8% primary Spanish speaking), across ethno-racial (non-Hispanic White, Hispanic White, Black/African American), primary language (English, Spanish), and cognitive status (cognitively normal, mild cognitive impairment, dementia). Invariance was assessed at configural, metric, scalar, and strict levels. Results: A 4-factor model (memory, processing speed/executive functioning, language, attention) demonstrated acceptable to good fit in NACC (CFI = 0.97, TLI = 0.96, RMSEA = 0.07, SRMR = 0.03) and 1FLADRC (CFI = 0.97, TLI = 0.96, RMSEA = 0.05, SRMR = 0.04). Standardized factor loadings ranged from 0.43-0.87. Metric invariance was supported across all contrasts in both cohorts. Higher levels of invariance were cohort-dependent: CN vs. MCI achieved strict invariance in both cohorts, whereas non-Hispanic White vs. Hispanic White and English vs. Spanish only achieved strict invariance in NACC. Conclusions: The UDS3-NB demonstrates structural validity and metric equivalence across ethno-racial, linguistic, and cognitive status groups.
Funding Information
  • NIA/NIH (U24 AG072122)
  • ADRCs (P30 AG062429, P30 AG066468, P30 AG062421, P30 AG066509, P30 AG066514, P30 AG066530, P30 AG066507, P30 AG066444, P30 AG066518, P30 AG066512, P30 AG066462, P30 AG072979, P30 AG072972, P30 AG072976, P30 AG072975, P30 AG072978, P30 AG072977, P30 AG066519, P30 AG062677, P30 AG079280, P30 AG062422, P30 AG066511, P30 AG072946, P30 AG062715, P30 AG072973, P30 AG066506, ), P30 AG066508, P30 AG066515, P30 AG072947, P30 AG072931, P30 AG066546, P30 AG086401, P30 AG086404, P20 AG068082, P30 AG072958, P30 AG072959, R01AG080468)
  • National Institute on Aging (P30AG066506)

This publication has 45 references indexed in Scilit: