Racism Raises Alzheimer’s Risk for Non-white Americans, HHS Claims in New Report

“Entrenched systemic racism” is a significant risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in non-White Americans, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) claimed in its 2022 update on how to fight the disease.

The HHS’ “National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease” said Black, Hispanic and low-income populations are more likely to face health-related risk factors that contribute to Alzheimer’s and said this disparity is due to “structural inequities” that are the result of racism. Those inequities include “underinvestment in education systems, less walkable communities, decreased access to nutritious food, barriers to health care access and low quality of care in their communities.”

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“This requires that addressing SDOH [social determinants of health], entrenched systemic racism, and other forms of discrimination be prioritized, rather than focusing solely on individual behaviors,” the report said.

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Black people are twice as likely as White people to develop Alzheimer’s, and Hispanics are about 1.5 times more likely than Whites to get it.

The group says high blood pressure and diabetes are suspected risk factors and said high blood pressure is “more prevalent in the African American community,” while diabetes is “more prevalent in the Hispanic community.”

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The HHS report appears to conclude that these differences in overall health are a direct result of racism, {snip}

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