Emma Zang1, Anna Guo2, Christina Pao3, Nancy Lu4, Bei Wu5, Terri R Fried6,7. 1. Department of Sociology, 5755Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA. 2. Department of Biostatistics, 5755Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA. 3. Department of Sociology, 6396University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. 4. Harvard Medical School, 1811Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA. 5. Rory Meyers College of Nursing, 5894New York University, New York, NY, USA. 6. Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA. 7. Department of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
Abstract
ObjectivesTo identify and examine heterogeneous trajectories of general health status (GHS) and depressive symptoms (DS) among persons with cognitive impairment (PCIs). Methods: We use group-based trajectory models to study 2361 PCIs for GHS and 1927 PCIs for DS from the National Health and Aging Trends Survey 2011-2018, and apply multinomial logistic regressions to predict identified latent trajectory group memberships using individual characteristics. Results: For both GHS and DS, there were six groups of PCIs with distinct trajectories over a 7-year period. More than 40% PCIs experienced sharp declines in GHS, and 35.5% experienced persistently poor GHS. There was greater heterogeneity in DS trajectories with 55% PCIs experiencing improvement, 16.4% experiencing persistently high DS, and 30.5% experiencing deterioration. Discussion: The GHS trajectories illustrate the heavy burden of poor and declining health among PCIs. Further research is needed to understand the factors underlying stable or improving DS despite declining GHS.
ObjectivesTo identify and examine heterogeneous trajectories of general health status (GHS) and depressive symptoms (DS) among persons with cognitive impairment (PCIs). Methods: We use group-based trajectory models to study 2361 PCIs for GHS and 1927 PCIs for DS from the National Health and Aging Trends Survey 2011-2018, and apply multinomial logistic regressions to predict identified latent trajectory group memberships using individual characteristics. Results: For both GHS and DS, there were six groups of PCIs with distinct trajectories over a 7-year period. More than 40% PCIs experienced sharp declines in GHS, and 35.5% experienced persistently poor GHS. There was greater heterogeneity in DS trajectories with 55% PCIs experiencing improvement, 16.4% experiencing persistently high DS, and 30.5% experiencing deterioration. Discussion: The GHS trajectories illustrate the heavy burden of poor and declining health among PCIs. Further research is needed to understand the factors underlying stable or improving DS despite declining GHS.
Entities:
Keywords:
Alzheimer’s disease; cognitive aging; depression; health disparities