Table 3.
Unadjusted modifiable risk factors for subjective cognitive decline in U.S. adults aged 45 years and older, 2015–2018
| Risk factor | RR1 (95% CI2) | Prevalence (%) | Communality3 (%) | PAF4 (%) | Weighted PAF5 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All adults | |||||
| Limited educationa | 1.60 (1.47–1.76) | 4.78 | 66.19 | 2.81 | 0.85 |
| Deafnessb | 2.60 (2.41–2.80) | 9.66 | 39.81 | 13.38 | 4.05 |
| Social isolationc | 3.39 (3.10–3.71) | 52.38 | 70.97 | 55.60 | 16.82 |
| Depressiond | 4.17 (4.01–4.34) | 18.76 | 56.15 | 37.30 | 11.29 |
| Smokinge | 1.71 (1.63–1.80) | 15.46 | 64.26 | 9.90 | 3.00 |
| Physical inactivityf | 1.76 (1.68–1.83) | 30.76 | 39.83 | 18.87 | 5.71 |
| Obesityg | 1.27 (1.22–1.33) | 32.97 | 59.06 | 8.25 | 2.50 |
| Hypertensionh | 1.62 (1.53–1.71) | 50.99 | 57.99 | 23.95 | 7.25 |
| Diabetesi | 1.67 (1.59–1.75) | 17.76 | 57.65 | 10.57 | 3.20 |
| Overall6 | 89.31 | 54.66 | |||
| Women | |||||
| Limited educationa | 1.61 (1.42–1.83) | 4.49 | 58.99 | 2.66 | 0.78 |
| Deafnessb | 2.68 (2.37–3.02) | 7.46 | 48.90 | 11.12 | 3.28 |
| Social isolationc | 3.23 (2.89–3.62) | 55.70 | 69.20 | 55.41 | 16.31 |
| Depressiond | 4.31 (4.07–4.55) | 22.92 | 57.33 | 43.12 | 12.70 |
| Smokinge | 1.88 (1.76–2.01) | 14.41 | 65.83 | 11.27 | 3.32 |
| Physical inactivityf | 1.79 (1.69–1.89) | 32.25 | 41.35 | 20.23 | 5.96 |
| Obesityg | 1.40 (1.32–1.49) | 32.08 | 64.84 | 11.35 | 3.34 |
| Hypertensionh | 1.59 (1.48–1.70) | 49.57 | 58.25 | 22.52 | 6.63 |
| Diabetesi | 1.74 (1.63–1.86) | 16.73 | 59.35 | 10.98 | 3.23 |
| Overall6 | 90.51 | 55.55 | |||
| Men | |||||
| Limited educationa | 1.60 (1.40–1.82) | 5.11 | 26.67 | 2.96 | 1.01 |
| Deafnessb | 2.54 (2.30–2.80) | 12.22 | 20.30 | 15.82 | 5.38 |
| Social isolationc | 3.65 (3.16–4.21) | 47.68 | 71.96 | 55.82 | 19.00 |
| Depressiond | 4.33 (4.08–4.60) | 13.94 | 39.75 | 31.72 | 10.80 |
| Smokinge | 1.54 (1.43–1.67) | 16.68 | 50.75 | 8.29 | 2.82 |
| Physical inactivityf | 1.73 (1.62–1.85) | 29.03 | 35.75 | 17.53 | 5.97 |
| Obesityg | 1.15 (1.08–1.23) | 33.93 | 48.34 | 4.85 | 1.65 |
| Hypertensionh | 1.65 (1.52–1.79) | 52.63 | 57.98 | 25.55 | 8.70 |
| Diabetesi | 1.59 (1.48–1.70) | 18.95 | 54.94 | 10.05 | 3.42 |
| Overall6 | 88.12 | 58.75 | |||
Data aggregated from U.S. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2015–2018; estimates were weighted and/or adjusted for complex survey design. Not all risk factors were available for every year of the survey. RR and PAF were unadjusted for demographic factors
1Relative risk and 2confidence intervals for subjective cognitive decline. 3Total amount of variance a risk factor shares with the other factors
4Population-attributable fraction; proportion of all cases of subjective cognitive decline in the population that is attributable to a risk factor
5PAF after accounting for communality. 6Combined PAF of all risk factors. 3−6Please see Additional file 1 for formulas
aNever attended school or discontinued after 8th grade
bIncludes serious difficulty hearing
cNever or rarely receive needed social and emotional support and/or have social activities significantly limited by arthritis
dEver told to have a depressive disorder
eCurrently smoke every day or some days and have smoked ≥ 100 cigarettes in lifetime
fNo physical activity or exercise during past 30 days other than regular job
gBody mass index (BMI) ≥ 30.00 kg/m2
hEver told to have high blood pressure by a health professional, excluding during pregnancy or borderline high, pre-hypertension
iEver told to have diabetes, excluding gestational, borderline or pre-diabetes