Abstract

Objectives: We explored the relationship between the number of children and cognitive outcomes in later life in a large cohort of older females and males from Norway.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis using multinomial logistic regression.

Settings: The Norwegian HUNT4 70+ Study.

Participants: Males and females aged ≥70 years.

Measurments: The exposure was the number of biological children (none, one, two, three, or four or more). The primary outcome was categorized as dementia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or no cognitive impairment.

Results: Among 9263 participants (mean age 78 years; 54 % females), those without children had higher risk of dementia (relative risk ratio [RRR] 1.82, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.37 to 2.42) and MCI (RRR 1.31, 95 % CI 1.08 to 1.59) compared to those who had two children, adjusting for age and sex. Similar pattern was observed for those with one child, whereas those with three children did not have an increased MCI or dementia risk. Having four or more children was marginally associated with higher dementia risk (RRR 1.22, 95 % CI 1.00–1.49), but not with MCI risk. This association was attenuated after adjusting for education and marital status, whereas those without children and with one child had still higher risk. In sex-stratified analysis, having no children was associated with higher risk of dementia only in males.

Conclusions: The weak association with high parity, along with the increased dementia risk observed in males without children, contrasts with previous findings. Our results highlight the need for further investigation

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