Newswise — (Boston)–Experiences of racism are associated with lower subjective cognitive function (SCF) among African-American women.
Rates of incident dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) are higher in African Americans than in white Americans. In many studies, older African Americans perform more poorly on neuropsychological cognition tests compared to white Americans. Experiences of racism are common among African Americans, with 50 percent or more respondents to a 2017 national survey reporting such experiences. These institutional and daily forms of racism have been associated with increased risks of various conditions that can impair cognition, including depression, poor sleep, type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
Using data from the Black Women’s Health Study (a prospective cohort study established in 1995, when 59,000 black women aged 21 through 69 years enrolled by…
