Racial and Ethnic Differences in Alzheimer’s Disease Knowledge Among Community-Dwelling Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Florida

Objective: To compare Alzheimer’s disease (AD) knowledge by race and ethnicity in a community sample of middle-aged and older adults aged 50 and over in Florida. Method: Data from HealthStreet, a University of Florida community engagement program, which uses community health workers to assess the health conditions, concerns, and knowledge of community members, was used (n = 842). A multivariate regression model was used to quantify differences in AD knowledge by race and ethnicity. Results: Older age and recruitment from Miami were associated with higher AD knowledge while being non-Hispanic Black, reporting male sex, having less than high school diploma, and reporting food insecurity were associated with lower AD knowledge. Discussion: Hispanics had comparable AD knowledge to non-Hispanic Whites and more knowledge than non-Hispanic Blacks after adjusting for other factors that could differentiate these groups. Almost half of the participants did not know hypertension is a risk factor for AD, highlighting a point of intervention.