An Alzheimer’s Association study details the prevalence of the diseases by county, which could lead to more public health programs for dementia, and an increase in culturally sensitive health support and caregiver training.
The map of counties includes a correlation between health issues including diabetes, heart disease, and poverty levels.
Sarah Lovegreen, Alzheimer’s Association vice president of programs, said research at this “big data” level had never been collected. It could affect how resources are distributed around the region.
“We've had some pretty good estimates by the state for a long time,” she said. “I think when we would look county-by-county, we would assume that dementia was evenly distributed across the state, based on the population of the counties. This study helps us better understand where a higher prevalence of Alzheimer's disease is occurring in the community.
“This allows us to look at different factors, as well as what resources we need to bring to those communities to help alleviate [areas] with the highest burden.”
She said the report will help her organization determine the best ways to accomplish that mission.
Typically, we've prioritized communities based on population density or the number of people 65 and older that might live in those communities,” Lovegreen said.
“We also know that some [ethnic] communities are more impacted. For example, Black Americans. We can prioritize this community based on that factor.”
St. Louis and St. Louis County were among the state’s highest levels of Alzheimer’s dementia cases. Nationally, the East and Southeastern U.S. had the highest prevalence, according to the study. The Alzheimer’s Association can begin a targeted approach in getting public programs and caregiver training to these regions.
“At the Alzheimer's Association, we think about how we can implement public policy efforts; having this data can really help us prioritize bringing resources to different communities,” Lovegreen said.
“This data comes at a really great time for us because the [Gov. Mike Parson] signed the Alzheimer's State Plan Task Force which came forward with a report and set of recommendations in December of 2022.”
The report found that higher percentages of older people and Black and Hispanic residents live in specific regions. This could explain the higher prevalence in those areas. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, Black people are twice as likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s dementia than white people.
Last year’s Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) included a discussion on racism’s role in African Americans’ increased level of Alzheimer's disease.
“We’re thinking about how chronic racism would increase stress, inflammation, not having access to healthy foods or safe physical activity options. If we can't practice healthy behaviors, some of those factors are going to impact whether we have diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer's disease,” Lovegreen said.
“We’re thinking about prioritizing access to care and treatment, ensuring that there is respite and care resources for people who might be further along into the disease. Those are things this data will help us with [when making decisions,] she said.