Understanding Racial/Ethnic and Socio-Economic Dementia Disparities: UK Biobank Study | Aging-US

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Aging-US published this trending research paper on September 25, 2023, in Volume 15, Issue 18, entitled, “Pathways explaining racial/ethnic and socio-economic disparities in dementia incidence: the UK Biobank study" by researchers the Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute on Aging, NIA/NIH/IRP, Baltimore, MD; Department of Research Programs, Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, Fort Belvoir, VA; Stanford Center on Longevity, Stanford University, Stanford, CA; School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scottland, UK. DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.205058 Corresponding author - May A. Beydoun - baydounm@mail.nih.gov Abstract Background: Pathways explaining racial/ethnic disparities in dementia risk are under-evaluated. Methods: We examine those disparities and their related pathways among UK Biobank study respondents (50–74 y, N = 323,483; 3.6% non-White minorities) using a series of Cox proportional hazards and generalized structural equations models (GSEM). Results: After less than or equal to 15 years, 5,491 all-cause dementia cases were diagnosed. Racial minority status (RACE_ETHN, Non-White vs. White) increased dementia risk by 24% (HR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.07–1.45, P = 0.005), an association attenuated by socio-economic status (SES), (HR = 1.12, 95% CI: 0.96–1.31). Total race-dementia effect was mediated through both SES and Life’s Essential 8 lifestyle sub-score (LE8LIFESTYLE), combining diet, smoking, physical activity, and sleep factors. SES was inversely related to dementia risk (HR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.67, 0.72, P less than 0.001). Pathways explaining excess dementia risk among racial minorities included ‘RACE_ETHN(−) → SES(−) → DEMENTIA’, ‘RACE_ETHN(−) → SES(−) → Poor cognitive performance, COGN(+) → DEMENTIA’ and ‘RACE_ETHN(−) → SES(+) → LE8LIFESTYLE(−) → DEMENTIA’. Conclusions: Pending future interventions, lifestyle factors including diet, smoking, physical activity, and sleep are crucial for reducing racial and socio-economic disparities in dementia. Sign up for free Altmetric alerts about this article - https://aging.altmetric.com/details/email_updates?id=10.18632%2Faging.205058 Subscribe for free publication alerts from Aging - https://www.aging-us.com/subscribe-to-toc-alerts Keywords - aging, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, health disparities, socio-economic status, structural equations modeling About Aging-US Launched in 2009, Aging-US publishes papers of general interest and biological significance in all fields of aging research and age-related diseases, including cancer—and now, with a special focus on COVID-19 vulnerability as an age-dependent syndrome. Topics in Aging-US go beyond traditional gerontology, including, but not limited to, cellular and molecular biology, human age-related diseases, pathology in model organisms, signal transduction pathways (e.g., p53, sirtuins, and PI-3K/AKT/mTOR, among others), and approaches to modulating these signaling pathways. Please visit our website at https://www.Aging-US.com​​ and connect with us: SoundCloud - https://soundcloud.com/Aging-Us Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AgingUS/ X - https://twitter.com/AgingJrnl Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/agingjrnl/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@AgingJournal LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/aging/ Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/AgingUS/ Media Contact 18009220957 MEDIA@IMPACTJOURNALS.COM