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Do Older Mexican Americans With Dementia Benefit From Living Closer to the Border? Evidence From the HEPESE
Alfonso Rojas‐Alvarez, Anna Bokun. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 2025-01-10
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Hispanic older adults face significant barriers to healthcare access, stemming from multiple factors: limited income, high medical costs, elevated rates of chronic disease and dementia, and greater reliance on public insurance programs, relative to other racial, ethnic, and age groups. We also examine how proximity to the border and caregiver and community resources affect outcomes for Mexican American older adults aged 80 and older—a growing demographic with limited data and a higher risk of health disparities. Our findings show that Hispanic older adults who reside closer to the border rely more on caregivers for instrumental and emotional support, report worse self-reported health, experience more difficulty paying bills, report lower independence in both ADL and iADL measures, and face an increased risk of dementia diagnosis, relative to their counterparts further from the border. Our findings suggest the urgency for better policies to address the needs of older Hispanic Americans with dementia in the border region.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Rojas‐Alvarez, A., & Bokun, A. (2025). Do Older Mexican Americans With Dementia Benefit From Living Closer to the Border? Evidence From the HEPESE. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1177/07399863241308928
Vancouver
Rojas‐Alvarez A, Bokun A. Do Older Mexican Americans With Dementia Benefit From Living Closer to the Border? Evidence From the HEPESE. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences. 2025. doi:10.1177/07399863241308928.
BibTeX
@article{rojasalvarez2025-383bd537,
author = {Rojas‐Alvarez, Alfonso and Bokun, Anna},
title = {{Do Older Mexican Americans With Dementia Benefit From Living Closer to the Border? Evidence From the HEPESE}},
journal = {Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1177/07399863241308928},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1177/07399863241308928}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Hispanic older adults face significant barriers to healthcare access, stemming from multiple factors: limited income, high medical costs, elevated rates of chronic disease and dementia, and greater reliance on public insurance programs, relative to other racial, ethnic, and age groups.
- We also examine how proximity to the border and caregiver and community resources affect outcomes for Mexican American older adults aged 80 and older—a growing demographic with limited data and a higher risk of health disparities.
- Our findings show that Hispanic older adults who reside closer to the border rely more on caregivers for instrumental and emotional support, report worse self-reported health, experience more difficulty paying bills, report lower independence in both ADL and iADL measures, and face an increased risk of dementia diagnosis, relative to their counterparts further from the border.
- Our findings suggest the urgency for better policies to address the needs of older Hispanic Americans with dementia in the border region.
Why it matters
This study found that older Mexican Americans living closer to the border reported worse health, more difficulty paying bills, lower independence, and increased risk of dementia diagnosis compared to those further from the border. It suggests a need for better policies for older Hispanic Americans with dementia in the border region.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 35/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences: journal h-index 108 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 2 / 7 | Cited 5 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 1.7 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 5.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 5 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 0 / 4 | Last-listed author Anna Bokun: h-index 2 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | The University of Texas at Austin: institution h-index 1,251 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 35 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1177/07399863241308928
- Original source →
- Free full text: Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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