Evaluating the unique effects of cognitive ability and parental socioeconomic status on adult dietary behaviors and receipt of preventive health services

• Cognitive ability and parental SES had unique indirect effects on adult health behaviors.
• Education level and adult income mediated these associations.
• Cognitive ability had a larger effect on education level and adult income than parental SES.
• Neither ability nor parental SES had a direct unique effect on adult health behaviors.

Some research has shown that both cognitive ability and parental socioeconomic status (parental SES) predict dietary behaviors and receipt of preventive health services later in life. However, previous research has not attempted to disentangle these effects while also examining important mediators such as education level and income. Based on a sample of 4078 individuals drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, we examined the unique effects of g and parental SES on adult dietary behaviors and receipt of preventive health services. Overall, the results suggest that there is essentially little direct unique effect of cognitive ability or parental SES on adult dietary behaviors and receipt of preventive health services. However, the total effects of cognitive ability and parental SES on adult dietary behaviors and receipt of preventive health services showed that higher levels of cognitive ability and parental SES were associated with healthier dietary habits and receipt of health services due to their effects on educational attainment and adult income. The findings may have implications for health education materials and access to healthcare.