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The Health and Retirement Study Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol Project: Study Design and Methods
Kenneth M Langa1,2,3,4, Lindsay H Ryan5, Ryan J McCammon5
1Division of General Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, klanga@umich.edu.
Neuroepidemiology
|September 30, 2019
Summary
The Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol (HCAP) Project enhances cognitive impairment and dementia research by linking detailed assessments to longitudinal Health and Retirement Study (HRS) data. This international collaboration enables global comparisons of aging and cognitive health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Neuroscience
- Public Health
Background:
- The Health and Retirement Study (HRS) is a large, ongoing, nationally representative panel study of US adults aged 51 and older.
- Cognitive impairment and dementia are significant public health concerns in aging populations worldwide.
- International research collaborations are crucial for understanding global trends in aging and cognitive health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To implement the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol (HCAP) as a substudy within the HRS.
- To measure and identify cognitive impairment and dementia in a representative sample of older adults.
- To facilitate international comparisons of cognitive aging and dementia through harmonized data collection.
Main Methods:
- The HCAP utilized a cognitive test battery assessing attention, memory, executive function, language, and visuospatial function.
- In-person interviews were conducted with HRS respondents (aged 65+) and nominated informants.
- The final HCAP sample comprised 3,496 participants, achieving a 79% response rate.
Main Results:
- The HCAP successfully collected detailed cognitive data from a representative sample of older US adults.
- The study design allows for the linkage of cognitive data with extensive HRS longitudinal data.
- Similar HCAP projects in other countries will enable global dementia research.
Conclusions:
- Linking HCAP cognitive data with HRS data offers unique opportunities to study cognitive impairment and dementia in the US.
- International HCAP data will enhance understanding of global dementia prevalence, incidence, and outcomes.
- HCAP data, like all HRS data, are publicly available to researchers at no cost.
