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Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia with Global Perspective

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 15959

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Haeok Lee

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Guest Editor

College of Nursing and Health Sciences,University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA 02125-3393, USA
Interests: community-based research; health equity; population health; cancer prevention; dementia; health literacy; storytelling interventions; global health

Prof. Dr. Younhee Kang

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Assistant Guest Editor

College of Nursing, Ewha Womans University 52 Ewhayeodae-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03760, Korea
Interests: cardiovascular diseases; chronic illness; health promotion; cognitive impairment & dementia; advanced practice in nursing; education measurement & evaluation in nursing ;global health; international development cooperation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

One of the most pressing public health issues associated with the increase in the elderly population is dementia care. Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) are a global crisis facing the aging population and society as a whole. According to World Population Prospects 2019 (United Nations, 2019), by 2050, 1 in 6 people in the world will be over the age of 65, up from 1 in 11 in 2019. This includes low-income and middle-income countries, and the percentage of ethnic–racial minority elders is expected to increase at a much higher rate than that of Caucasian elders. However, there remain substantial gaps in the scientific literature. Like most other diseases, the literature on dementia has a strong bias toward people of European ancestry. There are challenges in studying dementia arising from the demographic characteristics of this population. However, exploring and understanding these challenges and then developing strategies to address them is critical to reducing health disparities in dementia and ADRD. Continued research is necessary to understand the fundamental cause and the environmental and individual factors that contribute to disparities in dementia and ADRD research and care among diverse racial/ethnic populations globally. For this Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, we invite you to submit articles of literature reviews, quantitative and qualitative studies, methodology, and case reports to understand the fundamental cause and the environmental and individual factors that contribute to disparities in dementia and ADRD health and issues of studying dementia and ADRD among racial/ethnic minority populations. International submissions are encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Haeok Lee
Prof. Dr. Younhee Kang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

dementia
Alzheimer’s disease
inequities
global health
population health
racial/ethnic
social determinants
research methods
informal caregiver

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 584 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Associations between Brain Reserve Proxies and Clinical Progression in Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia

by Hyung-Jun Yoon, Seung-Gon Kim, Sang Hoon Kim, Jong Inn Woo, Eun Hyun Seo and For the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaing Initiative

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(22), 12159; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182212159 - 19 Nov 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1580

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether brain and cognitive reserves were associated with the clinical progression of AD dementia. We included participants with AD dementia from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, provided they were followed up at least once, and candidate proxies for cognitive (education for early-life reserve and Adult Reading Test for late-life reserve) or brain reserve (intracranial volume [ICV] for early-life reserve and the composite value of [¹⁸F] fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography regions of interest (FDG-ROIs) for late-life reserve) were available. The final analysis included 120 participants. Cox proportional hazards model revealed that FDG-ROIs were the only significant predictor of clinical progression. Subgroup analysis revealed a significant association between FDG-ROIs and clinical progression only in the larger ICV group (HR = 0.388, p = 0.028, 95% CI 0.167–0.902). Our preliminary findings suggest that relatively preserved cerebral glucose metabolism might delay further clinical progression in AD dementia, particularly in the greater ICV group. In addition to ICV, cerebral glucose metabolism could play an important role as a late-life brain reserve in the process of neurodegeneration. Distinguishing between early- and late-life reserves, and considering both proxies simultaneously, would provide a wider range of factors associated with the prognosis of AD dementia. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia with Global Perspective)

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16 pages, 16799 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Early Implementation and Evaluation of StepUp for Dementia Research: An Australia-Wide Dementia Research Participation and Public Engagement Platform

by Yun-Hee Jeon, Mirim Shin, Adam Smith, Elizabeth Beattie, Henry Brodaty, Dennis Frost, Anthony Hobbs, Piers Kotting, Glenys Petrie, Martin Rossor, Jane Thompson, James Vickers and Donna Waters

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(21), 11353; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111353 - 28 Oct 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3388

Abstract

Recruiting participants for dementia research takes time. For those who are interested, opportunities to participate can be ad hoc. Delays in finding the right participants can result in studies taking longer to deliver, often requiring funding extensions, and ultimately increasing the cost and limiting the effectiveness of research and evaluation. To address these issues, a digital platform, StepUp for Dementia Research, was developed in 2019 and evaluated through ongoing data analytics, researcher feedback and annual volunteer surveys in 2019 and 2021. Using innovative matching technology, StepUp provides volunteers with an opt-in, secure way of registering interest in dementia studies and allows researchers to access matched volunteers in Australia. As of June 2021, 1070 volunteers registered (78% female), and 25 organizations became ‘champions’ for StepUp promotion. Of 122 registered researchers, 90 completed training. Forty studies from 17 research/health institutions recruited participants using StepUp. The evaluation demonstrated program feasibility and recruitment efficiency with a high level of satisfaction from users. Evaluation outcomes highlighted disparities in public participation in dementia research (e.g., gender, education and race/ethnicity) and provided valuable insights for further enhancements of StepUp. A concerted and strategic effort is needed by leading registries such as StepUp to ensure narrowing volunteer participation gaps in dementia research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia with Global Perspective)

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Review

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12 pages, 1274 KiB

Open AccessReview

Nurses’ Experience of Nursing Workload-Related Issues during Caring Patients with Dementia: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis

by Younhee Kang and Yujin Hur

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(19), 10448; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph181910448 - 04 Oct 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 5812

Abstract

The behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), which appear in all dementia patients, demand sizable commitments of time and effort from nurses. This study aims to identify issues related to the workloads of nurses who provide care for dementia patients via qualitative meta-synthesis. Eleven articles were selected using a systematic review flowchart, which were then evaluated for their quality using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program checklist. Collected data were analyzed using a line-of-argument method. Theme clusters were “increased workload due to characteristics of dementia”, “increased mental stress”, “difficulty associated with playing a mediator role in addition to nursing duties”, and “lacking systematic support for dementia patient care”. To reduce the workload and mental stress of nurses in dementia care, supportive measures appropriate for their occupational characteristics should be developed, based on workload estimates that account for the attributes of dementia patients. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia with Global Perspective)

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16 pages, 541 KiB

Open AccessReview

Eating Difficulties among Older Adults with Dementia in Long-Term Care Facilities: A Scoping Review

by Dukyoo Jung, Kyuri Lee, Jennie C. De Gagne, Minkyung Lee, Hyesoon Lee, Leeho Yoo, Sarah Won and Eunju Choi

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(19), 10109; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph181910109 - 26 Sep 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3836

Abstract

This paper reports a scoping review of the literature on eating difficulties among older adults with dementia in long-term care facilities to identify key concepts, methods of measuring outcomes, interventions, and related factors. A scoping review was performed using the bibliographic databases PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library. A combination of keywords and subject headings related to eating or feeding difficulties was used. Inclusion criteria were limited to materials published in English. A total of 1070 references were retrieved, of which 39 articles were selected after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Articles that met the criteria were published between 1987 and 2020. “Eating disabilities” have been defined as problems related to choosing food and/or the ability to get food to one’s mouth, chew, and swallow. Interventions for eating difficulties described in the literature include spaced retrieval training, Montessori training, and feeding skill training. Intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental factors related to eating difficulties were identified. This scoping review will provide direct care workers, nursing educators, and administrators with an overview of eating performance and a broad understanding of eating difficulties for older adults with dementia in long-term care facilities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia with Global Perspective)

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