Intentions to undergo dementia screening among older Black adults
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Abstract
Stark health disparities exist between Black and White Americans including dementia risk. Black Americans are up to three times more likely to develop dementia compared to their White counterparts. These disparities can be attributed to other health inequalities that increase the risk of dementia. Despite the higher prevalence of dementia among Black Americans, rates of dementia screening remain low and diagnosis often occurs at more advanced stages of the disease. Consequently, those living with dementia and their families lose valuable time planning for care and for interventions. There is a dire need to address this disparity in multi-faceted ways and a better understanding of the decision-making process for dementia screening among older Black adults may be a springboard to close this gap. The current study aimed to investigate intent to undergo dementia screening and was the first of its kind to do so in a faith-based sample of older Black adults. The researchers drew on the Health Belief Model (HBM) as a framework, given its successful application in understanding screening behavior for other health concerns. Altogether, the study examined six factors in their ability to predict dementia screening intent: perceived benefits, perceived barriers, perceived severity (guided by the HBM), as well as dementia knowledge, dementia stigma, and expectations regarding aging through hierarchical regression modeling. Results support stigma as an especially important predictor for dementia screening intent among older Black adults. Addressing dementia stigma should be a priority in interventions aimed at increasing screening rates among older Black adults. Moreover, findings are particularly relevant to future faith-based dementia screening interventions as churches may be pivotal in closing this health disparity.
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Review of literature -- Research design and methodology -- Results -- Discussion
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Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)