Abstract
Background: The United States is in the midst of a profound demographic change: the rapid aging of its population. Dementia is one of the most common diseases at this age cohort. The cause of dementia is unknown and there is no effective treatment. Identification of lifestyle related factors that influence the risk of developing dementia, however, may provide insight into its cause and offer potential strategies for prevention.
Aim: The primary objective of this study is to examine the association between a set of lifestyle characteristics and the likelihood of dementia among older Americans.
Methods: The Aging Demographics and Memory Study (ADAMS) dataset is used to examine a set of potential protective or risk factors for dementia among older individuals in the U.S. The ADAMS is a cross-sectional data of a stratified random sample of 1,770 individuals of age 70 and above, selected from the Health and Retirement Survey-2000, based on the self-or-proxy reported cognition score. The ADAMS is the first nationally representative sample of individuals with dementia in this country. The generalized ordered logistic model is used to examine the impact of lifestyle related risk factors on the likelihood of dementia and other cognitive impairments not dementia (CIND).
Results: For one year increase in age the odds of dementia versus the combined outcomes of CIND and normal increases by 1.11. Compared to all other genotypes, APOE-e4 is associated with an increased risk of dementia. An each year increase in education, the odds of dementia against the combined outcomes of CIND and normal is decreased by 0.90. Among chronic health conditions, an incidence of stroke is the significant risk factor for dementia.
Conclusion: The finding that higher education lowers the risk of dementia has important implications as education can be viewed as a ‘preventive medicine’ for postponing the onset of dementia. From a policy perspective the causal relationship is important in order to evaluate the effectiveness of public expenditures on education. Further research can investigate whether a re-allocation of resources can be welfare improving if the impact of education on dementia risk is larger than the impact of healthcare on dementia.
- Received May 27, 2010.
- Accepted May 27, 2010.
