The Association of Cultural Participation and Social Engagement With Self-Reported Diagnosis of Memory Problems Among American Indian and Alaska Native Elders

• Main Authors: Adamsen, Collette, Manson, Spero M, Jiang, Luohua
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: eScholarship, University of California 2021
• Subjects: Public Health; Health Sciences; American Indian or Alaska Native; Clinical Research; Arctic; Rural Health; Age Factors; Aged; Alaskan Natives; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Indians; North American; Male; Memory Disorders; Self Report; Social Participation; Alaska Native; American Indian; cultural participation; memory problems; social engagement; Public Health and Health Services; Gerontology; Clinical sciences; Alaska
• Online Access: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9qp3m41n

Objective: This study examines the association of cultural participation and social engagement with self-reported diagnosis of memory problems among older American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs). Method: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 14,827 AI/ANs using data from the 2014-2017 cycle of the Identifying Our Needs: A Survey of Elders (ION). Logistic regression was used to examine the association of cultural participation and social engagement with self-reported diagnosis of memory problems. Results: Compared to older AI/ANs who reported high cultural participation and/or high social engagement, those characterized by low cultural participation and/or low social engagement exhibited significantly higher odds of a self-reported diagnosis of memory problems (OR = 1.863, 95% CI: [1.269, 2.734], p = .001). Discussion: Older AI/ANs who described either or both low cultural participation and low social engagement endorsed far more self-reported diagnoses of memory problems, suggesting a strong association that warrants further study for potential causality.