ABSTRACT
This initial chapter introduces dementia, its definition, and terminology as well as the changes in definitions over time. Similarly, concepts of race and ethnicity as they are used in the United States (US), such as those by the U.S. Census, are defined. The chapter uses a systematic review framework. Rates of incidence and prevalence of dementia among different race and ethnic populations in the US were extracted from over 100 English language publications. Challenges in comparing the results from the diverse studies include varying methodology, ages studied, and different assessments, as well as different methods for reporting results. The majority of studies included data on African Americans, more than data on all other populations combined. African Americans and Caribbean Hispanics are at high risk for dementia, and Mexican Americans and Japanese Americans tend to have relatively lower risk; American Indian, Chinese American, Vietnamese American, and South Asian Americans have limited data on dementia incidence and no data on prevalence, making health planning difficult. Conclusions of the review included: dementia is a large societal problem affecting all communities, regardless of race or ethnicity; and it is important to study all groups and also to disaggregate the findings of specific groups among the larger ethnic categories (e.g., Latino, Asian) to help in health planning.
