Do area-wide social and environmental factors affect individuals’ risk of cognitive impairment?

Research published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society has identified several community-level factors that may increase people’s risk of experiencing cognitive impairment.

In the study of 2,830 dementia-free US individuals aged 65+ years, 23.2% of participants were categorized as having mild cognitive impairment. People who lived in areas with higher neighborhood disadvantage, higher air pollution, higher homicide rate, and less greenspace had elevated odds of having mild cognitive impairment. Completing schooling in a Southern US state was also associated with a greater likelihood of mild cognitive impairment. After adjusting for age, race, sex, and education level, the link between mild cognitive impairment and higher neighborhood disadvantage remained statistically significant.

“As clinicians and researchers, we routinely consider older adults’ individual risk factors for cognitive impairment, but we also need to consider the influence of the social and environmental factors where they live and work.  If planners and policymakers want to reduce disease burden in our communities, they too need to take into account the social determinants of health,” said corresponding author Mary Ganguli, MD, MPH, of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jgs.19251

Additional Information
NOTE: The information contained in this release is protected by copyright. Please include journal attribution in all coverage. For more information or to obtain a PDF of any study, please contact: Sara Henning-Stout, newsroom@wiley.com.

About the Journal
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society is the go-to journal for clinical aging research. We provide a diverse, interprofessional community of healthcare professionals with the latest insights on geriatrics education, clinical practice, and public policy — all supporting the high-quality, person-centered care essential to our well-being as we age.

About Wiley      
Wiley is one of the world’s largest publishers and a trusted leader in research and learning. Our industry-leading content, services, platforms, and knowledge networks are tailored to meet the evolving needs of our customers and partners, including researchers, students, instructors, professionals, institutions, and corporations. We empower knowledge-seekers to transform today’s biggest obstacles into tomorrow’s brightest opportunities. For more than two centuries, Wiley has been delivering on its timeless mission to unlock human potential. Visit us at Wiley.com. Follow us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram.