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Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health

Population Health Research Brief Series

What Factors Increase Risk of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia?

Elizabeth Vásquez and Kai Zhang

February 2024

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and ranks 7th in the leading causes of death in the United States (U.S.). This data slice uses nationwide data from 3,155 counties in the U.S. to identify the factors that best predict county-level rates of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRDs) in 2018. The results indicate that insufficient sleep, consuming less than one serving of fruits and vegetables per day, having no high school diploma, Black population percentage, and social vulnerability were among the leading factors predicting county-level ADRD prevalence.

Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health