Cognitive impairment in Mexican Americans: a population-based study

摘要 到本世纪中叶，西班牙裔/拉美裔将占美国人口的30%以上，墨西哥裔美国人将占美国人口的30%以上。 在这一不断增长的社会群体中占最大份额。这项建议旨在利用门到门 在德克萨斯州Nueces县的一个非移民，双种族社区进行监测，以确定患病率和 墨西哥裔美国人和非西班牙裔白人的认知障碍和痴呆症随时间的变化轨迹。我们 将阐明解释阿尔茨海默病中假设的种族差异的机制， 通过评估血管疾病危险因素、教育程度的作用来评估阿尔茨海默病相关性痴呆 社会经济地位等等。本研究还将深入探讨非正式用语的差异 为墨西哥裔美国人和非西班牙裔白人提供认知障碍和痴呆症。护理者 将对照顾者的负担和身心健康进行检查，以努力制定干预措施 that build建立resilience弹性in carefully照顾者.这项基于人群的研究的一个新功能是检查社区 资源的病人和照顾者，以及这些规定如何不同的种族。使用严格的混合 我们将确定可用资源与认知能力不足者的需求之间的差距。 损伤和痴呆。通过这种方式，我们将能够很好地提出种族特定的可测试性 促进认知障碍和痴呆症患者身心健康的干预措施， 以及那些提供护理的家庭成员。因此，这项研究将导致改善- 认知障碍和痴呆症患者及其照顾者的存在、自主性和结果。 调查小组成员在这个社区进行了20年的研究， 墨西哥裔美国人的文化和健康，认知障碍和痴呆症，流行病学方法，社区 需求评估和健康行为研究。随着墨西哥裔美国人继续其 巨大的增长和老龄化，至关重要的是要更好地了解患病率和结果， 认知障碍和痴呆症，并迅速制定干预措施， 墨西哥裔美国成年人，家庭和社区的这些共同条件的负担。

Abstract Hispanic/Latinos will comprise more than 30% of the U.S. population by mid-century, and Mexican Americans account for the largest share of this growing segment of society. This proposal aims to use door-to-door surveillance in Nueces County, Texas, a non-immigrant, bi-ethnic community, to determine the prevalence and trajectory over time of cognitive impairment and dementia in Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic whites. We will elucidate the mechanisms that explain the hypothesized ethnic disparity in Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer-related dementias by evaluating the roles of vascular disease risk factors, educational attainment and socio-economic status among others. This research will also delve deeply into the differences in informal caregiving for Mexican American and non-Hispanic whites with cognitive impairment and dementia. Caregiver burden and mental and physical health of caregivers will be examined toward efforts to develop interventions that build resilience in caregivers. A novel ability of this population-based study is to examine community resources for both patients and caregivers, and how these provisions differ by ethnicity. Using a rigorous mixed methods approach we will identify the gap between available resources and needs for those with cognitive impairment and dementia. In this way we will be well positioned to propose ethnic-specific testable interventions that promote mental and physical health for those with cognitive impairment and dementia, as well as for those family members who provide the care. This research will therefore lead to improved well- being, autonomy and outcomes among those with cognitive impairment and dementia and their caregivers. The investigative team members have conducted research in this community for 20 years and are experts in Mexican American culture and health, cognitive impairment and dementia, epidemiologic methods, community needs assessment and health behavior research. As the Mexican American population continues its tremendous growth and aging it is vitally important to better understand the prevalence and outcomes of cognitive impairment and dementia in this population, and to rapidly develop interventions that address the burden of these common conditions in Mexican American adults, families, and communities.