2022 Alzheimer's Association Research Grant (AARG)

Tobacco Control as a Tool for Lowering Risk of ADRD and ADRD Disparities

How have tobacco control policies impacted disparities in Alzheimer’s?

Lucie Kalousova, Ph.D.
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN - United States

Background

Most researchers believe that Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases that cause memory loss are caused by a complex interaction of several factors.  In some cases, these factors may be modifiable through risk reduction strategies.  One of these factors is smoking. Studies show that life-long, older smokers have brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s and other diseases that cause memory changes; these individuals often have higher rates of cognitive impairment as they age, compared to nonsmokers. In the last several decades, smoking in the United States has declined; however, smoking rates have remained high among Americans with the lowest income and education, and among underrepresented racial and ethnic communities. These populations also have greater risk to develop cognitive impairment.

Strong tobacco control policies at the state and local levels, such as tobacco taxes and smoke-free laws, have been key to the overall decline in smoking. But these policies have had unequal effects due to their uneven implementation. Given the association between smoking and Alzheimer’s, tobacco control policies may be an important factor related to cognitive health in older adults.

Research Plan

Dr. Lucie Kalousova and colleagues will study how two tobacco control policies influence the prevalence of cognitive impairment in the population. The researchers will use data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), which is a telephone survey established in 1984 and administered annually. They will also use data from the Americans for Nonsmokers Rights smoke-free law database, a comprehensive collection of tobacco control laws in the U.S. Using this data, the research team will study the associations between changes in tobacco taxes and smoke-free laws and measures of cognitive functioning in older adults. Dr. Kalousova and team will also investigate how tobacco taxes and smoke-free laws are associated with differences in the prevalence of Alzheimer’s in the population.

Impact

This study will be among the first to systematically study and quantify the possible contributions of tobacco control policies to cognitive health in the United States, further informing understanding of risk reduction strategies and considerations of implementation more broadly of these strategies.