Community Factors Linked to Increased MCI Risk

TOPLINE:

Greater neighborhood disadvantage and exposure to air pollution, higher homicide rates, and reduced greenspace are all associated with increased risk for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in older adults, new research shows.

METHODOLOGY:

• The cross-sectional study included 2830 individuals without dementia aged ≥ 65 years who were recruited between 2006 and 2019 as part of the Monongahela-Youghiogheny Healthy Aging Team study and Seniors Project 15,104.
• Researchers examined associations between MCI and social determinants of health, including the Area Deprivation Index (ADI), fine particulate matter with a diameter ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5), greenspace, the National Walkability Index, healthcare availability, and homicide rate, at the census tract or block group level.

TAKEAWAY:

• In total, 23% of participants had MCI.
• MCI was significantly associated with higher ADI scores (odds ratio [OR], 1.01; P = .003), greater PM2.5 exposure (OR, 1.16; P P = .02), lesser greenspace (OR, 0.99; P = .003), and schooling in a southern US state (OR, 2.06; P = .01).
• After adjusting for age, race, sex, and educational level, the association between MCI and ADI remained statistically significant (OR, 1.04; P = .006).
• Race had significant interactions with PM2.5, southern birth, and southern schooling. The association of PM2.5 with MCI was stronger among Black participants than among White participants.

IN PRACTICE:

“As clinicians and researchers, we routinely consider older adults’ individual risk factors for cognitive impairment, but we also need to consider the influence of the social and environmental factors where they live and work,” lead author Mary Ganguli, MD, MPH, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, added in a press release.

SOURCE:

The study was published online on November 20 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

LIMITATIONS:

All public data were not available over the same calendar years. Additionally, researchers had to assume that study participants had been chronically exposed to all potential factors at average levels, which was unlikely for healthcare. The cross-sectional nature of the study prevented the establishment of temporal directions of the associations. The study also lacked data on additional potential social determinants of health, such as racism and food insecurity.

DISCLOSURES:

The study was supported in part by the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, and US Department of Health and Human Services. The investigators have reported no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.