High interest in screening and treatment for mild cognitive impairment in older adults: A pilot study.
OBJECTIVE
To assess interest of older adults in screening and treatment for mild cognitive impairment (MCI).


METHODS
Cross-sectional, in-person pilot survey with a convenience sample.


METHODS
Two university-based geriatrics clinic waiting rooms in Chicago.


METHODS
Healthy adults aged 35 and older without cognitive impairment (n = 149).


METHODS
Following a description of MCI extracted from the Alzheimer's Association Website "Fact Sheet," questions concerning willingness to be screened and treated for MCI.


RESULTS
Ninety-eight percent of respondents would be willing to be tested for MCI if a family member suggested they had memory problems, 99% were willing to take a medication if it would cut the risk of conversion from MCI to Alzheimer's disease (AD) in half, and 92% would take a medication to delay the conversion from MCI to AD by 1 year. If a family member suggested memory problems, African Americans were more willing than whites to be screened for MCI (75% vs 57%; P = .05).


CONCLUSIONS
Older adults expressed high interest in screening and treatment for MCI. Interest in screening is even stronger in African Americans than in whites. Such high interest is potentially troubling, given the current state of knowledge about MCI.
Dale
William
W
Section of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA. wdale@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu
Hougham
Gavin W
GW
Hill
Emily Kay
EK
Sachs
Greg A
GA
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002641:Chicago; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors