To address the historically overlooked challenges faced by American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) adults concerning Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), Principal Investigator Luohua Jiang, MD, PhD, interim chair and associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the UCI Program in Public Health, and her co-investigators, Maria Corrada, ScD, professor of neurology and epidemiology, and Dana Mukamel, PhD, professor of medicine and public health, were awarded a nearly $2 million grant by the Alzheimer’s Disease Program of the California Department of Public Health.
Over the next four years, Dr. Jiang will lead this first-of-its-kind, large-scale study to further understand the gaps in ADRD research among California AI/ANs by building on past studies and using new innovative technologies. In the context of California AI/ANs, ADRD remains a severely understudied disorder, despite the impending demographic shift of the U.S. population who are aged 65 and older. Demographers expect a 3.7-fold increase in this age group, which started a decade ago and will last for the next two decades.
“A surge in dementia prevalence may be on the horizon in the coming decades as the population of California Native elders grows,” says Jiang. “Thus, identifying the top modifiable risk factors in this population is critical to prevent or delay this surge.”
Unfortunately, ADRD, especially in its early stages, often goes under-detected among underserved populations. Our projected study hopes to remediate that. This initiative marks a significant stride toward addressing Alzheimer’s disparities and enhancing the well-being of California’s Native population.”
– Luohua Jiang, MD, PhD
Anticipated key findings from this study have the potential to identify crucial intervention targets for preventing ADRD among California AI/AN adults, revolutionize future ADRD prevention and screening practices, and illuminate the economic implications of implementing automated risk assessment tools in AI/AN healthcare systems for prevention, early detection, and early diagnosis.
Currently, the proposed study has three primary objectives. First, researchers hope to investigate the differences in modifiable risk factors for ADRD between California AI/AN and White Medicare beneficiaries that could help assist in identifying the top risk factors for the subject demographic. Additionally, the study aims to develop ADRD risk prediction models for the California AI/AN population with Medicare coverage, utilizing both traditional statistical methods and machine learning algorithms. Lastly, the study intends to develop econometric models of AI/AN ADRD health expenditures to project changes in Medicare and Medicaid expenditures associated with automated risk assessment tools.
“The impact of early ADRD diagnosis is profound, offering substantial benefits to individuals and their families, while potentially mitigating the overall treatment costs associated with the condition,” added Jiang. “Unfortunately, ADRD, especially in its early stages, often goes under-detected among underserved populations. Our projected study hopes to remediate that. This initiative marks a significant stride toward addressing Alzheimer’s disparities and enhancing the well-being of California’s Native population.”
