Prevalence of subjective cognitive decline among older Multiracial adults, 2019-2023
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Background
The Multiracial (two or more races) population is the fastest-growing U.S. racial and ethnic group but remains underrepresented in cognitive aging research. No national estimates exist for subjective cognitive decline – a self-reported indicator of worsening memory that is associated with increased dementia risk – among Multiracial older adults. We used descriptive epidemiologic methods to estimate prevalence in this group.
Methods
We pooled Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data from 2019–2023 from U.S. states and territories that administered the optional cognitive decline module. Our analytic sample included 546,371 adults aged 50 years or older. We estimated crude and age/sex-adjusted prevalence of subjective cognitive decline by self-identified race and Hispanic ethnicity using survey-weighted logistic regression with predictive marginal standardization. We stratified adjusted prevalence estimates by state.
Results
Adjusted subjective cognitive decline prevalence was highest among American Indian or Alaska Native (18.2%) and Multiracial (17.9%) adults, nearly double the prevalence observed among Asian adults (9.1%). Among Multiracial adults, state-level adjusted subjective cognitive decline prevalence ranged from 15.2% in Puerto Rico to 20.5% in New Mexico, with low geographic variation (interquartile range: 18.8%–19.6%) and no consistent regional pattern.
Conclusions
This study provides the first national estimates of subjective cognitive decline among older Multiracial adults, revealing a high and relatively uniform burden across states. These findings underscore the need to better characterize cognitive aging risks in this growing population and support the inclusion of Multiracial individuals in longitudinal and clinical dementia studies.
