Higher C-reactive protein (CRP) is associated with cognitive difficulties. The nature of this association remains unclear given that multiple other variables are linked with both CRP and cognitive difficulties, which may confound the association. The goal of the current study is to determine whether low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with worse cognitive functioning via higher CRP and whether this association is independent of known associations with other health, stress and lifestyle factors (e.g., depression, physical activity, body mass). Assessments in a longitudinal study of 1,029 Dutch adolescents were based on a combination of self-report and parent-report questionnaires, diagnostic assessment, behavioral testing, and blood assay. We estimated latent variables for cognitive functioning (executive functioning, verbal fluency, episodic memory) and used structural equation analysis to test whether SES (wave 1: 11.08 years (SD=0.55); 55% female] was associated with worse cognitive outcomes (wave 4: aged 18.97 years; SD=0.55) via increased CRP, depression, stress, body mass, substance use or physical inactivity (wave 3: aged 16.17 years; SD=0.61). Low SES was associated with worse cognitive functioning via increased CRP. Additionally, low SES was associated with (i) worse executive functioning via higher body mass, higher levels of sedentary behavior, and higher stress, (ii) worse verbal fluency via higher levels of sedentary behavior and (iii) worse episodic memory via sedentary behaviors, body mass, and substance use. These results confirm the link between SES, CRP and cognitive functioning and additionally identify four modifiable lifestyle factors that may be implicated in the link between low SES and worse performance on tests of cognitive functioning.

较高的 C 反应蛋白 (CRP) 与认知困难有关。鉴于多个其他变量与 CRP 和认知困难相关，这种关联的性质仍不清楚，这可能会混淆这种关联。当前研究的目标是确定低社会经济地位 (SES) 是否通过较高的 CRP 与较差的认知功能相关，以及这种关联是否独立于已知的与其他健康、压力和生活方式因素（例如抑郁、体力活动、身体质量）。对 1,029 名荷兰青少年进行的一项纵向研究的评估结合了自我报告和家长报告问卷、诊断评估、行为测试和血液检测。我们估计了认知功能的潜在变量（执行功能、言语流畅性、情景记忆），并使用结构方程分析来测试 SES（第 1 波：11.08 岁（SD= 0.55）；55% 女性）是否与较差的认知结果相关（第 1波： 4：年龄 18.97 岁；SD= 0.55）通过增加 CRP、抑郁、压力、体重、物质使用或缺乏身体活动（第 3 波：年龄 16.17 岁；SD= 0.61）。低 SES 通过增加 CRP 与较差的认知功能相关此外，低 SES 与以下因素相关：(i) 较高的体重、较高水平的久坐行为和较高的压力导致执行功能较差；(ii) 较高水平的久坐行为导致言语流畅性较差；以及 (iii) 由于久坐而导致情景记忆较差这些结果证实了 SES、CRP 和认知功能之间的联系，并另外确定了四种可改变的生活方式因素，这些因素可能与低 SES 和认知功能测试中较差表现之间的联系有关。