The newly released Healthy Brain Tracker contains valuable population data on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD), dementia risk factors, cognition, and caregiving in Hawaiʻi. It was developed by the University of Hawaiʻi’s Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health’s Hawaiʻi Health Data Warehouse (HHDW) with the Center on Aging (COA) Building Our Largest Dementia Infrastructure (BOLD) team in partnership with the Executive Office on Aging (EOA).
The Healthy Brain Tracker is intended to increase understanding of ADRD in Hawaiʻi, guide key stakeholders, inform the programs and policies related to brain health, cognitive impairment, and caregiving. This tracker is an important step in the implementation of the Hawai‘i 2035: State Strategic Plan on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias, a blueprint to strengthen the capacity of our state agencies and community partners to build a strong infrastructure that will reduce the risk of cognitive decline, promote brain health, and support caregivers.
The tracker contains 36 indicators grouped into 4 categories: 1) Cognition, 2) Dementia Prevalence and Mortality, 3) Dementia Risk Factors, and 4) Caregiving. Here are some of the latest Hawaiʻi data highlights from each category of the tracker:
- Over 1 in 10 adults aged 45+ years reported they experienced confusion or memory loss (cognitive decline) that is happening more often or is getting worse in the past 12 months.
- The percentage of Medicare beneficiaries treated for Alzheimer’s disease or dementia in Hawaiʻi is 7.0%, higher than the US value of 6.0%.
- High blood pressure (hypertension), a risk factor for dementia, is prevalent in 47.4% of adults aged 45+. Rates vary by subgroups, such as age (60.5% among adults aged 75+), and employment status (54.7% among adults aged 45+ retired or unable to work).
- 18.6% of adults provided regular care or assistance in the past 30 days to a friend or family member aged 18+ with a health problem or disability. Rates were higher among women (22.2%) compared to men (15.0%)
