TY - JOUR
T1 - Trends in memory function and memory impairment among older adults in the USA and Europe, 1996-2018
AU - Myrskylä, Mikko
AU - Hale, Jo Mhairi
AU - Schneider, Daniel C
AU - Mehta, Neil K
N1 - Funding: This work was supported by the Strategic Research Council, FLUX consortium, decision numbers 345130 and 345131, to M.M.; by the National Institute on Aging (R01AG075208), to M.M.; by grants to the Max Planck—University of Helsinki Center from the Max Planck Society, Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation, Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Helsinki, and Cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, and Espoo; and the European Union (ERC Synergy, BIOSFER, 101071773), to M.M. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. N.M. was supported by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health (R01AG075208, P30AG024832, P30AG066582). This article appears as part of a supplemental issue on Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Dementia and Population Health Trends, which was supported by the Michigan Center on the Demography of Aging at the University of Michigan, with funding from the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health (P30AG012846).
PY - 2024/11
Y1 - 2024/11
N2 - Background: Single-country studies document varying time trends in memory function and impairment. Comparative analyses are limited.Methods: We used self-respondent data on adults aged 50+ years in 13 countries from three surveys (USA: HRS, 1998-2018; England: ELSA, 2002-2018; 11 European countries: SHARE, 2004-2019). Memory is measured with tests of immediate and delayed word recall. Unweighted age- and gender-adjusted mixed effects regression models as well as models with adjustments for additional socio-demographic characteristics and health behaviors were examined. Heterogeneity in trends by gender, age group, and educational attainment were measured.Results: The age-adjusted 10-year improvement in average test score is 0.04 standard deviations (SDs) (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.03, 0.05) in the USA, 0.17 SDs (95% CI: 0.15, 0.19) in England, and 0.24 SDs (95% CI: 0.23, 0.25) in SHARE countries. Trends are largely similar across gender, age groups, and educational attainment. Regional differences in trends remain after adjustment for potential mechanisms. Difference between the USA and other countries is particularly large under aged 75 years compared to over aged 75 years.Conclusions: Pace of improvement in memory function varies strongly across countries. On average, the 11 European countries studied had the fastest improvement, followed by England. The trend in the USA indicates improvement, but at a much slower pace compared to that in England and other European countries. Uncovering the causes for the cross-country heterogeneity in time trends, and in particular the reasons for the comparatively poor performance of the USA, should be both a research and public health priority.
AB - Background: Single-country studies document varying time trends in memory function and impairment. Comparative analyses are limited.Methods: We used self-respondent data on adults aged 50+ years in 13 countries from three surveys (USA: HRS, 1998-2018; England: ELSA, 2002-2018; 11 European countries: SHARE, 2004-2019). Memory is measured with tests of immediate and delayed word recall. Unweighted age- and gender-adjusted mixed effects regression models as well as models with adjustments for additional socio-demographic characteristics and health behaviors were examined. Heterogeneity in trends by gender, age group, and educational attainment were measured.Results: The age-adjusted 10-year improvement in average test score is 0.04 standard deviations (SDs) (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.03, 0.05) in the USA, 0.17 SDs (95% CI: 0.15, 0.19) in England, and 0.24 SDs (95% CI: 0.23, 0.25) in SHARE countries. Trends are largely similar across gender, age groups, and educational attainment. Regional differences in trends remain after adjustment for potential mechanisms. Difference between the USA and other countries is particularly large under aged 75 years compared to over aged 75 years.Conclusions: Pace of improvement in memory function varies strongly across countries. On average, the 11 European countries studied had the fastest improvement, followed by England. The trend in the USA indicates improvement, but at a much slower pace compared to that in England and other European countries. Uncovering the causes for the cross-country heterogeneity in time trends, and in particular the reasons for the comparatively poor performance of the USA, should be both a research and public health priority.
KW - Comparative analysis
KW - Dementia
KW - Memory impairment
KW - Trends
U2 - 10.1093/gerona/glae154
DO - 10.1093/gerona/glae154
M3 - Article
C2 - 38953519
SN - 1079-5006
VL - 79
SP - S11–S21
JO - Journals of Gerontology Series A - Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
JF - Journals of Gerontology Series A - Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
IS - Supplement_1
ER -
