A-44: Normative Data for Spanish-Language Tests in Community Dwelling Older Adults: Findings From the Boston Latino Aging Study (BLAST)
Abstract
Objective: Limited normative data for Spanish-speaking older adults may limit equitable assessments and increase misdiagnosis risk. We developed norms in the Boston Latino Aging Study (BLAST), including the Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE), Oral Symbol Digit Modalities Test (OSDMT), WAIS-IV Matrix Reasoning, and Category Fluency (Animals), among others. Method/Data Selection: The sample included 122 cognitively unimpaired, Spanish-speaking older Latinos (MMMSE=28.11 [SD=1.50], Mage=65.73 [SD=7.28], Meducation=11.86 [SD=5.18], 69.7% female) from BLAST. Norms were developed by maximizing cell sizes across age (55-61, 62-69, and 70-87) and education (≤12 and >12 years), with additional education stratified norms for the whole sample (ages 55+). Means and standard deviations were computed for all neuropsychological measures and subgroups. Cognitive performance was investigated in relation to age, education, and sex. Results/Data Synthesis: Education showed moderate positive associations with all cognitive measures, while age showed weak to moderate negative associations. Sex was weakly negatively associated with matrix reasoning and OSDMT only. Stratified by age and education, individuals aged 55-61 with ≤12 years of education showed the following means (SD): M(SD)MMSE= 27.73 (0.88), M(SD)Matrix= 10.50 (4.45), M(SD)Animals= 17.20 (5.55), M(SD)OSDMT= 36.54 (14.71); those with >12 years showed M(SD)MMSE= 28.85 (0.72), M(SD)Matrix= 15.68 (5.89), M(SD)Animals= 19.54 (5.12), M(SD)OSDMT= 49.41 (7.74). Parallel analyses were performed for all other age ranges by education stratifications. Conclusions: We provide community dwelling norms for Spanish-language cognitive measures in a Latino older adult sample. These data may support neuropsychological characterization of Spanish speakers in clinical and research settings. The small sample size is a limitation, and future research should examine alternative normative methods, including regression-based analyses.