Year: 2022
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: We examined risk and protective factors associated with dementia and decomposed racial/ethnic disparities in factors associated with dementia. We performed a retrospective analysis of 3,495 individuals 65+ who participated in the 2016 Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol, linked to Health and Retirement Study. Using the MMSE score, individuals were classified as having dementia vs cognitively normal. Risk factors included cardiovascular factors and hearing loss in midlife, current smoking, depression, and physical inactivity. Protective factors included educational attainment and wealth. Using Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition we quantified the relative contribution of individual variables in explaining racial/ethnic disparities. We found that Blacks and Hispanics have higher dementia risk compared to Whites. Accounting for demographics, mid-and later-life risk and protective factors explained one-third of the difference in Blacks and Whites’ cognitive functioning, and two-thirds of the difference in Hispanics and Whites. The findings highlight disparate dementia rates, and the need to elucidate other factors beyond race/ethnicity.
Source: Innovation in Aging
Authors: Nasim B Ferdows, Maria Aranda
Institutions: Northeastern University, University of Southern California
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,615
OpenAlex ID: W4312104181