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Inequalities in dementia incidence between six racial and ethnic groups over 14 years
Mayeda ER, Glymour MM, Quesenberry CP, Whitmer RA. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 2016-03
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
This large study followed over 274,000 members of a single California health system for 14 years and found striking differences in dementia rates by race and ethnicity. African Americans and American Indian/Alaska Natives had the highest rates, while Asian Americans had the lowest — nearly a 75% higher rate in Black versus Asian American members. The authors estimated that if every group had the same low rate as Asian Americans, about 190,000 fewer dementia cases would occur nationally each year.
Key findings
- Dementia incidence highest in African Americans (26.6/1,000 person-years) and American Indian/Alaska Natives (22.2/1,000)
- Dementia incidence lowest in Asian Americans (15.2/1,000 person-years)
- Hazard ratio for African Americans vs Asian Americans was 1.65 (95% CI 1.58-1.72)
- 25-year cumulative risk at age 65 ranged from 38% (African American) to 25% (Pacific Islander)
- If all groups had Asian American rates, an estimated 190,000 dementia cases nationally could be prevented annually
Why it matters
Dementia rates differed strikingly by race and ethnicity, with African Americans and American Indian/Alaska Natives highest and Asian Americans lowest. The authors estimated that if every group had the same low rate as Asian Americans, about 190,000 fewer dementia cases would occur nationally each year.
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Study details
- Study designcohort
- Participants274,283
- Effect sizeDementia incidence ranged from 26.6 per 1,000 person-years in African Americans and 22.2 in American Indian/Alaska Natives, down to 19.6 in Latinos and Pacific Islanders, 19.3 in Whites, and 15.2 in Asian Americans; hazard ratio for African Americans vs Asian Americans 1.65 (95% CI 1.58-1.72)
- Evidence strengthHigh
Limitations
Dementia was ascertained from clinical diagnoses in electronic health records, which can undercount cases and may differentially misclassify across racial/ethnic groups; the cohort was drawn from a single integrated health system in Northern California, which may not generalize nationally.
How this study scored 68/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for randomised / blinded and indexed in PubMed because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record, multi-centre collaboration and free to read, so those were left out: it earned 42 of the 62 points we could judge it on, which is 68 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Alzheimer's & Dementia) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A cohort study following people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2016 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 4 / 4 | 274,283 participants |
| Effect reported | 3 / 3 | Effect reported with a statistic (interval, p-value, ratio or similar) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 0 / 2 | No PubMed ID and no DOI — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Free to read | — / 2 | Access not recorded — left out of this score |
| Points | 42 / 62 | Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 42 of the 62 points we could judge it on is 68 out of 100. |
| Total | 68 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. This record has no DOI, so the citation leaves it out. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Mayeda, E. R., Glymour, M. M., Quesenberry, C. P., & Whitmer, R. A. (2016). Inequalities in dementia incidence between six racial and ethnic groups over 14 years. Alzheimer's & Dementia.
Vancouver
Mayeda ER, Glymour MM, Quesenberry CP, Whitmer RA. Inequalities in dementia incidence between six racial and ethnic groups over 14 years. Alzheimer's & Dementia. 2016.
BibTeX
@article{mayeda2016-078293d1,
author = {Mayeda, E. R. and Glymour, M. M. and Quesenberry, C. P. and Whitmer, R. A.},
title = {{Inequalities in dementia incidence between six racial and ethnic groups over 14 years}},
journal = {Alzheimer's \& Dementia},
year = {2016}
}
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