Trends in MeMory ProbleMs and race/ eThniciTy in the naTional healTh and exaMinaTion survey, 1999-2014

Abstract

Background: Little data exist to describe serial population-level trends in cognitive impairment– especially among minority communities. Because memory problems are among the first warning signs of cognitive impairment, they provide a potential method for monitoring changes in cognitive health at the population level. This exploratory study aimed to: 1) estimate prevalence of memory problems among US residents by race/ethnicity, age category; and 2) examine whether racial/ethnic differences in subjective cognitive concerns (memory problems) varied across recent time periods. Design and Setting: Serial cross-sectional analysis of self-reported data from the National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES), 1999-2014. Participants: 20,585 participants aged ≥45 years during 1999-2014, who reported race/ethnicity as non-Hispanic White (NHW), non-Hispanic Black (NHB), and Latino/Hispanic. Measurements: The outcome of interest was subjective cognitive concerns, identified as self-reported memory problems. The frequencies of memory problems were examined for each 4-year period, across racial/ethnic groups. Results: In adjusted analyses, compared with older (aged ≥65 years) NHWs, disparities in subjective cognitive concerns were observed for older Latinos for most periods (range of AOR: 1.43 – 2.01, P