Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association
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Although numerous social factors have been associated with cognition in older adults, these findings have been limited by the consideration of individual factors in isolation. We investigated whether social vulnerability, defined as an index comprising many social factors, is associated with cognitive decline. ⋯ Increasing social vulnerability, defined by using a social vulnerability index incorporating many social factors, was associated with increased odds of cognitive decline during a period of 5 years in this study of older Canadians. Further study of social vulnerability in relation to cognition is warranted, with particular attention to potential interventions to alleviate its burden.