Public Health.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The prevalence of dementia and cognitive impairment remains unknown in the growing US Multiracial population.
• Subjective cognitive decline (SCD), a self-reported indicator of memory decline, serves as a proxy for dementia risk.
• This study aimed to compare national SCD prevalence among Multiracial adults against other racial groups.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD) in the US Multiracial population.
• To compare SCD prevalence across different racial and ethnic groups, including Multiracial adults.
• To identify potential disparities in cognitive decline indicators among diverse populations.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data from 2019-2023, including over 723,000 adults aged 50+.
• Participants were categorized into racial groups: White, Black, American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN), Asian, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (NHPI), other, Multiracial, and Hispanic.
• Weighted survey designs and logistic regression adjusted for complex sampling, age, and sex to calculate prevalence estimates.

Main Results:

• Overall crude prevalence of SCD was 12.8%, with the highest rates observed in American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) adults (18.2%) and Multiracial adults (17.4%).
• Age- and sex-adjusted SCD prevalence was highest for AIAN adults (16.5%) and Multiracial adults (15.6%), followed by Hispanic (13.0%) and Black adults (11.9%).
• Asian (9.4%) and White (10.9%) adults exhibited the lowest adjusted SCD prevalence.

Conclusions:

• This study presents the first national estimates of SCD prevalence for the Multiracial population, indicating high rates similar to AIAN adults.
• A limitation is the inability to disaggregate the Multiracial category due to limitations in publicly available BRFSS race data.
• Future research should utilize clinical data to investigate cognitive impairment disparities in the Multiracial population and develop targeted preventive interventions.