Credit: Mikhail Nilov via Pexels<\/p>\n
Findings from a recent study reveal that a rising number of US adults, particularly those under 40, are reporting serious challenges with concentration, memory and decision-making.<\/p>\n
Between 2013 to 2023, the rate of self-reported cognitive disability in the US rose from 5.3% to 7.4%. People with lower incomes and less education saw the biggest increases, while Native American and Alaska Native adults had the highest reported rates.<\/p>\n
The researchers say their results, published in Neurology<\/a>, highlight a potential public health concern. They suggest further research into which social and economic factors are driving the increase may help to provide healthcare providers with effective support.<\/p>\n \u201cChallenges with memory and thinking have emerged as a leading health issue reported by US adults,\u201d says the study\u2019s senior author Adam de Havenon, from Yale University\u2019s Department of Neurology.<\/p>\n The researchers analysed more than 4.5 million survey responses collected annually from 2013 to 2023 by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>, responses from 2020 were excluded from the dataset.<\/p>\n Participants responded to questions like \u201cBecause of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, do you have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?\u201d<\/p>\n If a participant answered yes to this question they were classified by the researchers as having a cognitive disability.<\/p>\n The researchers observed that the largest increase was among adults aged 40 and under. Over the 10-year period, cognitive disability rates almost doubled in this age bracket, rising from 5.1% in 2013 to 9.7% in 2023.<\/p>\n But the rate of cognitive disability dropped from 7.3% to 6.6% across the same period for adults aged 70 and older.<\/p>\n \u201cOur study shows that these difficulties may be becoming more widespread, especially among younger adults, and that social and structural factors likely play a key role,\u201d says de Havenon.<\/p>\n Although the survey conducted is not a measure of cognitive impairment, de Havenon acknowledges that the study still reflects an important public health trend that should not be dismissed.\u00a0<\/p>\n