Study Examines How Attending an HBCU Can Help Reduce Dementia Risk
A Rutgers Health researcher highlights how institutional conditions at historically Black colleges or universities shape brain health and promote health equity
Attending a historically Black college or university (HBCU) can be linked to better cognitive performance decades later among Black adults, according to a study coauthored by Min Hee Kim, an assistant professor at Rutgers School of Nursing.
The findings, published in JAMA Network Open, examine how institutional and social conditions shape cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Researchers believe this is the first national cohort study with a large sample of Black adults to examine how attendance at HBCUs versus predominantly white institutions relates to cognition later in life. The study sample included 1,978 Black older adults of whom 699 (35%), attended an HBCU.
Kim, a core member of the Center for Health Services Research at Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, played a crucial role in developing the methodology and contributed to the study’s design and interpretation of findings. The research was led by Marilyn D. Thomas at University of California, San Francisco and was carried out by a multi-institutional team of collaborators.
Kim discusses what the research reveals and why it matters for brain health and health equity.
What finding was most striking or unexpected?
We found that HBCU attendance was linked to stronger performance across multiple areas, including memory and language. We used rigorous statistical approaches to account for the possibility that students who attended HBCUs and predominantly white institutions may have differed in meaningful ways early in life – such as childhood health, encouragement in school and regional context.
Even after accounting for these factors, the association held. Our findings highlight that the context in which education is received – not just years of education – may have lasting implications for cognitive health and aging.
Why was it important to look at the college environment itself, rather than simply the number of years someone spent in school?
Because more schooling does not appear to provide the same health and cognitive benefits for Black adults as it does for white adults. That suggests it’s not just how long someone is in school, but what kind of educational environment they experience.
HBCUs offer a distinct college context that has been largely overlooked in research. Prior studies show that students at HBCUs often experience stronger social support, a greater sense of belonging, and less exposure to racial discrimination compared to predominantly white institutions. HBCUs also provide cultural affirmation and supportive learning environments that may help build long-term resilience.
How does this research change the way we think about the origins of dementia risk?
Educational context and racialized experiences are central to understanding and reducing dementia risk.
Our research shows that dementia risk is shaped by the social and institutional environments people experience across their lives. Education in general has often been treated as an attribute that mitigates risk for negative health outcomes, yet our findings show that for Black adults, the type of college environment matters. HBCU attendance was associated with better cognitive performance decades later, suggesting that early adult experiences of belonging, support, and reduced discrimination may help build dementia resilience.
These environments may promote brain health through social and biological pathways by increasing access to health‑promoting resources and reducing chronic stress and vascular risk factors linked to dementia.
What do these findings reveal about how inequities in educational systems may influence brain health later in life?
Inequities in the U.S. public education system – from segregated, under-resourced schools to discriminatory learning environments – have persisted across eras, spanning the pre‑Brown v. Board of Education period, the post‑Brown decades before the Civil Rights Act and even the years following desegregation policies.
Despite these systemic inequities, attending an HBCU appears to provide a unique protective effect on cognitive health. Importantly, our findings are consistent across these historical periods, suggesting that the protective benefits of HBCU attendance are robust and enduring. These findings highlight the lasting value of a supportive, affirming and culturally enriching educational environment that may help Black students build resilience against the cognitive consequences of both historical and ongoing discrimination.
Our research shows that supportive and affirming environments matter for brain health. Deliberately creating and investing in these environments can build long-term resilience, promote healthier aging and help reduce dementia risk and disparities.
