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. 2021 Dec 31;7(1):e12237.
doi: 10.1002/trc2.12237. eCollection 2021.

Estimation of dementia prevalence at the local level in the United States

Erin E Bennett  1 , Abraham Kwan  1 , Kan Z Gianattasio  1 , Brittany Engelman  1 , N Maritza Dowling  2 , Melinda C Power  1
Affiliations

Estimation of dementia prevalence at the local level in the United States

Erin E Bennett et al. Alzheimers Dement (N Y). .

Abstract

Introduction: Ensuring adequate and equitable distribution of resources to support persons living with dementia relies on understanding the burden and distribution of dementia in a population. Our goal was to develop an approach to estimate dementia prevalence at the local level in the United States using publicly available data.

Methods: Our approach combines publicly available data on dementia prevalence and demographic data from the US Census to estimate dementia prevalence. We illustrate this approach by estimating dementia prevalence in persons aged 65 and older in Philadelphia, PA; Chicago, IL; and Atlanta, GA.

Results: Overall, we estimate the prevalence of dementia among those 65 and older to be 11.9% in Philadelphia, 11.8% Chicago, and 12.3% in Atlanta. Estimates across Philadelphia localities vary from 9.3% to 15.9%.

Discussion: Our approach provides a cost-effective method to generate estimates of dementia prevalence at the local level.

Highlights: Brain health needs assessments require understanding of local dementia prevalence.Our approach can be used to estimate dementia prevalence in individual communities.This information can inform decisions about distribution of resources.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; dementia; needs assessment; prevalence; surveillance.

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Conflict of interest statement

Melinda C. Power reports grants from the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Defense (DOD), and DC Health. N Maritza Dowling reports grants from the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH). All authors were supported by a grant from DC Health.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Visual representation of our overall approach to estimating dementia prevalence
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Timeline of studies used for dementia prevalence estimates. ARIC, Atherosclerosis Risk in the Community; CHAP, Chicago Health and Aging Project; KAISER, Kaiser Permanente; MAP/MARS, Memory and Aging Project/Minority Aging Research Study; WHICAP, Washington Heights–Inwood Columbia Aging Project
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Geographic distribution of dementia prevalence across Philadelphia public use microdata areas
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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