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Article Open Access November 05, 2024

Diminished Returns of Educational Attainment on Numeracy Score of Latino Populations: Insights from UAS Data

Shervin Assari 1, 2, 3, Hossein Zare 4, 5, Golnoush Akhlaghipour 6 and Mario F Mendez 7, 8
1
Marginalized-Related Diminished Returns (MDRs) Research Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2
Department of Family Medicine, Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA
3
Department of Urban Public Health, Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA
4
Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
5
School of Business, University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC), Adelphi, USA
6
Paul R. Korey Department of Neurology, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
7
Department of Neurology, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
8
Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
Publihed in: Current Research in Public Health (Volume 2, Issue 1, 2024)
Page(s): 14-24
DOI: 10.31586/ojn.2024.1098
Received
July 26, 2024
Revised
September 29, 2024
Accepted
October 21, 2024
Published
November 05, 2024
Keywords
Numeracy Skills; Cognitive Function; Educational Attainment; Minorities' Diminished Returns; Latino; Health Disparities; Structural Inequality
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright: Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Scientific Publications
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APA Style
Assari, S. , Assari, S. Zare, H. , Zare, H. Akhlaghipour, G. , & Akhlaghipour, G. (2024). Diminished Returns of Educational Attainment on Numeracy Score of Latino Populations: Insights from UAS Data. Current Research in Public Health, 2(1), 14-24. https://doi.org/10.31586/ojn.2024.1098
ACS Style
Assari, S. ; Assari, S. Zare, H. ; Zare, H. Akhlaghipour, G. ; Akhlaghipour, G. Diminished Returns of Educational Attainment on Numeracy Score of Latino Populations: Insights from UAS Data. Current Research in Public Health 2024 2(1), 14-24. https://doi.org/10.31586/ojn.2024.1098
Chicago/Turabian Style
Assari, Shervin, Shervin Assari. Hossein Zare, Hossein Zare. Golnoush Akhlaghipour, and Golnoush Akhlaghipour. 2024. "Diminished Returns of Educational Attainment on Numeracy Score of Latino Populations: Insights from UAS Data". Current Research in Public Health 2, no. 1: 14-24. https://doi.org/10.31586/ojn.2024.1098
AMA Style
Assari S, Assari SZare H, Zare HAkhlaghipour G, Akhlaghipour G. Diminished Returns of Educational Attainment on Numeracy Score of Latino Populations: Insights from UAS Data. Current Research in Public Health. 2024; 2(1):14-24. https://doi.org/10.31586/ojn.2024.1098 
@Article{crph1098,
AUTHOR = {Assari, Shervin and Zare, Hossein and Akhlaghipour, Golnoush and Mendez, Mario F},
TITLE = {Diminished Returns of Educational Attainment on Numeracy Score of Latino Populations: Insights from UAS Data},
JOURNAL = {Current Research in Public Health},
VOLUME = {2},
YEAR = {2024},
NUMBER = {1},
PAGES = {14-24},
URL = {https://www.scipublications.com/journal/index.php/ojn/article/view/1098},
ISSN = {2831-5162},
DOI = {10.31586/ojn.2024.1098},
ABSTRACT = {Background: Educational attainment is a well-established social determinant of various domains of cognitive function across the lifespan. However, the theory of Minorities' Diminished Returns (MDRs) suggests that the health benefits of educational attainment tend to be weaker for ethnic minorities compared to non-Latino Whites. This phenomenon may reflect the impact of structural inequalities, social stratification, and historical disadvantage. Objective: This study examines whether the association between educational attainment and numeracy score, one domain of cognitive function, is weaker in Latino individuals compared to non-Latino individuals, as predicted by the MDRs framework. Methods: Data were drawn from the 2014 wave of the Understanding America Study (UAS), a national internet-based panel. Numeracy score, a domain of the cognitive function was measured using an 8-item measure. Linear regression models were used to analyze the association between educational attainment and numeracy score, with an interaction term for ethnicity x educational attainment to explore differences between Latino and non-Latino participants. Models were adjusted for age, gender, marital status, immigration, and employment, and results were presented as beta coefficients, p-values, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Overall, 5,659 participants entered our analysis. Higher educational attainment was positively associated with higher numeracy score for both Latino and non-Latino participants (p < 0.001). However, the interaction between education and ethnicity was significant (p < 0.05), indicating that Latino individuals experienced smaller numeracy benefits from education compared to non-Latino individuals. These results support the MDRs framework, suggesting that structural barriers may reduce the numeracy returns of education for Latino individuals. Conclusion: This study provides evidence of diminished returns of educational attainment in terms of numeracy scores among Latino individuals. While education is a key determinant of cognitive abilities such as numeracy, its benefits are not equitably distributed across ethnic groups. Structural inequalities particularly in educational opportunities likely contribute to this disparity. Addressing these underlying factors through targeted policy interventions is necessary to promote cognitive equity for Latino populations.},
}
%0 Journal Article
%A Assari, Shervin
%A Zare, Hossein
%A Akhlaghipour, Golnoush
%A Mendez, Mario F
%D 2024
%J Current Research in Public Health

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%T Diminished Returns of Educational Attainment on Numeracy Score of Latino Populations: Insights from UAS Data
%M doi:10.31586/ojn.2024.1098
%U https://www.scipublications.com/journal/index.php/ojn/article/view/1098

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AU  - Assari, Shervin
AU  - Zare, Hossein
AU  - Akhlaghipour, Golnoush
AU  - Mendez, Mario F
TI  - Diminished Returns of Educational Attainment on Numeracy Score of Latino Populations: Insights from UAS Data
T2  - Current Research in Public Health
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AB  - Background: Educational attainment is a well-established social determinant of various domains of cognitive function across the lifespan. However, the theory of Minorities' Diminished Returns (MDRs) suggests that the health benefits of educational attainment tend to be weaker for ethnic minorities compared to non-Latino Whites. This phenomenon may reflect the impact of structural inequalities, social stratification, and historical disadvantage. Objective: This study examines whether the association between educational attainment and numeracy score, one domain of cognitive function, is weaker in Latino individuals compared to non-Latino individuals, as predicted by the MDRs framework. Methods: Data were drawn from the 2014 wave of the Understanding America Study (UAS), a national internet-based panel. Numeracy score, a domain of the cognitive function was measured using an 8-item measure. Linear regression models were used to analyze the association between educational attainment and numeracy score, with an interaction term for ethnicity x educational attainment to explore differences between Latino and non-Latino participants. Models were adjusted for age, gender, marital status, immigration, and employment, and results were presented as beta coefficients, p-values, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Overall, 5,659 participants entered our analysis. Higher educational attainment was positively associated with higher numeracy score for both Latino and non-Latino participants (p < 0.001). However, the interaction between education and ethnicity was significant (p < 0.05), indicating that Latino individuals experienced smaller numeracy benefits from education compared to non-Latino individuals. These results support the MDRs framework, suggesting that structural barriers may reduce the numeracy returns of education for Latino individuals. Conclusion: This study provides evidence of diminished returns of educational attainment in terms of numeracy scores among Latino individuals. While education is a key determinant of cognitive abilities such as numeracy, its benefits are not equitably distributed across ethnic groups. Structural inequalities particularly in educational opportunities likely contribute to this disparity. Addressing these underlying factors through targeted policy interventions is necessary to promote cognitive equity for Latino populations.
DO  - Diminished Returns of Educational Attainment on Numeracy Score of Latino Populations: Insights from UAS Data
TI  - 10.31586/ojn.2024.1098
ER  -