Proxy Reports About Household Members With Increased Confusion or Memory Loss, 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

Figure. Classification of BRFSS respondents experiencing ICML themselves or serving as a proxy for another household member experiencing ICML, 2011. The questions on ICML were introduced with the following statement: “The next few questions ask about difficulties in thinking or remembering that can make a big difference in everyday activities. This does not refer to occasionally forgetting your keys or the name of someone you recently met, which is normal.” Abbreviations: BRFSS, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; ICML, increased confusion or memory loss. 

This flowchart presents a decision tree whereby participants in the 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System who completed the cognitive impairment module were included or excluded from the sample. The initial screening question was “During the past 12 months, have you experienced confusion or memory loss that is happening more often or getting worse?” Respondents who answered yes (n = 7,462) were excluded from the sample. If a respondent answered no (n = 81,012) and the respondent was the only person living in the household, the respondent was excluded from the sample. If a respondent answered no and there was more than 1 person in the household, the respondent was asked, “How many adults living in your household have experienced confusion or memory loss that is happening more often or getting worse?” Respondents who answered “none” were excluded from the sample. If they responded 1 or more, they then were included in the sample. If more than 1 adult was reported to have confusion or memory loss, the person with the most recent birthdate was selected. The number of household members with increased confusion or memory loss was 3,075; 30 records were excluded because they lacked data on age; the sample for age stratification was 3,045 household members.

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