Native Hawaiians have a higher risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia compared to all, but one other group studied, researchers from University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu found. The study followed a group of almost 92,000 senior citizens with an average age of 59 over nine years. 7% of those studied were Native Hawaiians, 34% Japanese Americans, 28% Whites, 19% Latinos and 12% were Black.
Out of the total group, 18 out 100 people developed Alzheimer’s or other dementias. 24% were Black and 14% Native Hawaiian. That’s two times their rate of participation in the study for both.
“The disparity for Black people has been reported by previous studies,” the study’s author Unhee Lim, Ph.D., said. “However, our study also discovered a disparity for Native Hawaiians, who we analyzed separately from Asian Americans. Native Hawaiians are often grouped with Asian Americans in research. However, studies have consistently shown Asian Americans have the lowest risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia.”
See “Native Hawaiians at higher risk for dementia” by Randall on the Asian American News website (April 8, 2024)
