Open AccessThe Area Deprivation Index: A novel tool for harmonizable risk assessment in Alzheimer's disease research
Author(s) -
Zuelsdorff Megan,
Larson Jamie L.,
Hunt Jack F. V.,
Kim Alice J.,
Koscik Rebecca L.,
Buckingham William R.,
Gleason Carey E.,
Johnson Sterling C.,
Asthana Sanjay,
Rissman Robert A.,
Bendlin Barbara B.,
Kind Amy J. H.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia: translational research and clinical interventions
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.49
H-Index - 30
ISSN - 2352-8737
DOI - 10.1002/trc2.12039
Subject(s) - disadvantaged , disadvantage , gerontology , cognition , dementia , social deprivation , poverty , metric (unit) , psychology , effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance , medicine , disease , psychiatry , economic growth , operations management , pathology , political science , law , economics
Abstract Introduction Residence in a disadvantaged neighborhood associates with adverse health exposures and outcomes, and may increase risk for cognitive impairment and dementia. Utilization of a publicly available, geocoded disadvantage metric could facilitate efficient integration of social determinants of health into models of cognitive aging. Methods Using the validated Area Deprivation Index and two cognitive aging cohorts, we quantified Census block‐level poverty, education, housing, and employment characteristics for the neighborhoods of 2119 older adults. We assessed relationships between neighborhood disadvantage and cognitive performance in domains sensitive to age‐related change. Results Participants in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods (n = 156) were younger, more often female, and less often college‐educated or white than those in less disadvantaged neighborhoods (n = 1963). Disadvantaged neighborhood residence associated with poorer performance on tests of executive function, verbal learning, and memory. Discussion This geospatial metric of neighborhood disadvantage may be valuable for exploring socially rooted risk mechanisms, and prioritizing high‐risk communities for research recruitment and intervention.