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40/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 40 out of 100. Risk factors

Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies

Plain-language summary

Understanding regional and racial variation in the risk of hospitalization with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD)-and how it differs from other conditions-is required to inform effective practice and policy. However, no prior studies have simultaneously estimated county-level regional and race-specific variation in hospitalization risk. We assessed hospitalizations with and without ADRD diagnoses among Black and White Medicare Fee-for-Service beneficiaries from 2000 to 2018 and used Bayesian shared component models to estimate geographic variation in hospitalizations jointly for both racial groups. We decomposed hospitalization risk across 3037 counties into (1) risk shared by all beneficiaries and (2) risk specific to either Black or White beneficiaries. We analyzed 143 891 769 hospitalizations (13.2% with ADRD). For hospitalization with ADRD, shared risk was elevated in southern and eastern states; Black-specific risk was elevated in the Midwest, Florida, and California; and White-specific risk was elevated in Appalachia. Black relative risk was significantly higher than White relative risk in 90.2% (2740/3037) of counties for hospitalization with ADRD and 44.7% (1359/3037) of counties for hospitalization without ADRD. These findings underscore the importance of considering regional differences in race-specific risk when assessing hospitalization disparities.

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

APA 7th

Mock, L., Mork, D., Audirac, M., Braun, D., Zanobetti, A., & Delaney, S. (2026). Hospitalization risk with and without dementia by region and race in the United States. American Journal of Epidemiology. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwag087

Vancouver

Mock L, Mork D, Audirac M, Braun D, Zanobetti A, Delaney S. Hospitalization risk with and without dementia by region and race in the United States. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2026. doi:10.1093/aje/kwag087. PMID: 42017264.

BibTeX

@article{mock2026-42017264,
  author  = {Mock, Lauren and Mork, Daniel and Audirac, Michelle and Braun, Danielle and Zanobetti, Antonella and Delaney, Scott},
  title   = {{Hospitalization risk with and without dementia by region and race in the United States}},
  journal = {American Journal of Epidemiology},
  year    = {2026},
  doi     = {10.1093/aje/kwag087},
  pmid    = {42017264},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwag087}
}

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How to read this study

Design: our record does not state a study design, so check the methods section of the original before weighing the result.
Size: the record lists 143 participants. Ask whether that is enough for the question, and who they were.
Effect: the record reports “13.2%; 90.2%; 44.7%”. A statistically significant result can still be small in daily life.

What the evidence grade means here

This page is graded low. alzhub.org assigns the grade automatically from keywords in the abstract, not from reading the paper. Low means the abstract matched neither pattern. It is the default label, and it does not mean the work is poor; many sound lab and imaging papers land here. It can add at most 5 of the 100 points in the study score, and it is a label about design, not a verdict on whether the findings are true.

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Key findings

Black relative risk was significantly higher than White relative risk in 90.2% (2740/3037) of counties for hospitalization with ADRD and 44.7% (1359/3037) of counties for hospitalization without ADRD.
These findings underscore the importance of considering regional differences in race-specific risk when assessing hospitalization disparities.

Why it matters

Among Black and White Medicare beneficiaries, hospitalization risk with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias varied by region and race. Black relative risk was significantly higher than White relative risk in 90.2% of counties for hospitalization with dementia.

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Study details

Participants143
Effect size13.2%; 90.2%; 44.7%
Evidence strengthLow

How this study scored 40/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (American Journal of Epidemiology)
Journal's citation record	3 / 4	American Journal of Epidemiology: journal h-index 416 (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	5 / 5	2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	2 / 4	143 participants
Effect reported	2 / 3	Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test
Studied in people	3 / 3	Studied in people (participant count stated)
Randomized / blinded	0 / 2	No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	0 / 7	Cited 0 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	0 / 5	0.0 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026
Impact for its field and year	0 / 6	Cited 0.0× 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	0 / 4	Cited 0 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	1 / 4	Last-listed author Scott Delaney: h-index 18 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	3 / 3	Harvard University: institution h-index 3,235 (OpenAlex)
Multicenter collaboration	1 / 3	OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 42017264)
Free to read	0 / 2	Behind a paywall — scores zero
Total	40 / 100	—

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