254726 Racial and ethnic differences in the prevalence of wandering behavior among persons with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias

Monday, October 29, 2012

Stephen J. Morewitz, PhD , Department of Nursing and Health Sciences, California State University, East Bay, San Francisco, CA
Researchers are investigating the possible influence of social and demographic factors on the behaviors, social functioning, and health status of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias who wander in local communities. Racial and ethnic differences may be an important factor that is associated with wandering behaviors. The present investigation is part of the Project for Missing and Homeless Persons, which is based on a random sample of 996 missing-persons reports that were filed between 1991 and 2011 and published on the North American Missing Persons Network and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children websites. This investigation tests the null hypothesis that the race/ethnicity of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias is not related to whether they wander. Each missing-person report was coded using a protocol that contains 291 variables. The coded data were entered into a data file and Chi-Square and correlational analysis was then performed using Systat 9 for Windows program (1999). The null hypothesis was rejected. Among those persons with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, African-Americans (59.6%) were much more likely to wander in local communities than Hispanic (30%) and white individuals (28.7%) (Chi-Square= 16.90, df=5, p<.005). These results remained statistically significant after controlling for possible intervening factors, such as the person's age and gender. This study assesses the implications of these racial/ethnic differences for law enforcement and health services programs that serve persons with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias who wander.

Learning Areas:
Administration, management, leadership
Chronic disease management and prevention
Diversity and culture
Provision of health care to the public
Public health administration or related administration
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify the ethnic and racial differences in wandering behavior among persons with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. 2. Describe risk factors that explain the ethnic and racial differences in wandering behavior among individuals with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. 3. Identify the outcomes of wandering among persons with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias in different racial and ethnic groups.

Keywords: Dementia, Ethnic Minorities

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been a public health professional for over 20 years. I am on the faculty of the California State University East Bay. I have been Dean of Research and Professor at the California College of Podiatric Medicine and was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Practice, College of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I am the author of 8 books and over 100 other publications related to public health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.