About the study: 

• Certain groups, such as Black Americans, Hispanic/Latinx Americans, people living in rural areas, and individuals with limited education, are more likely to be diagnosed later with dementia and are often underrepresented in Alzheimer’s disease research. These disparities can delay access to care and limit how well research findings apply to the communities most affected.

• The AMEN Study (Assessing Memory in Every Neighborhood) was designed to address these gaps by examining how neighborhood environments may influence cognitive health and attitudes toward participating in research. Neighborhoods vary widely in access to resources, socioeconomic conditions, environmental exposures, transportation and food access, and levels of social and structural vulnerability, all of which may influence cognitive health over time. 

What we did: 

• We partnered with community organizations across Central Ohio and recruited 308 participants at local events. Participants completed the Self-Administered Gerocognitive Exam (SAGE), a brief memory screening which helps identify patterns of cognitive functioning, ranging from no impairment to more severe impairment. Participants also completed questionnaires about their mental and cognitive health, social and environmental factors, knowledge about Alzheimer’s disease, and attitudes toward participating in research.