More U.S. adults than ever report having serious trouble concentrating, remembering or making decisions.
In 2023, more than 7 percent of adults without depression self-reported this type of cognitive disability. That figure is up from just over 5 percent a decade earlier, researchers report September 24 in Neurology. The uptick started in 2016. The rise is primarily driven by younger adults ages 18 to 39, for whom the prevalence of cognitive disability has nearly doubled to almost 10 percent.
Those data come from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey. That yearly telephone survey, conducted by state health departments in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recorded more than 4.5 million responses about brain health during the study period
While the survey data reflect self-reports rather than medical diagnoses, the increase could signal a public health concern. Older people who self-report cognitive problems are more likely to have further declines later, though no one knows if the same is true for younger adults.
The reasons for the increase aren’t clear. Broader awareness and reduced stigma may make younger adults more likely to admit to brain health issues, says study coauthor Ka-Ho Wong, a population health scientist at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Brain fog from long COVID may have contributed slightly to the rise, he says. “But I certainly don’t think it is the sole cause at all.”
Economic stress, job market uncertainty and increasing reliance on digital tools may play a role. For instance, Wong says that while his parents can remember their childhood home phone numbers, younger adults “can barely remember our own cell phone numbers half of the time.”
The finding indicates that doctors and public health officials should pay closer attention to the brain health of young adults, Wong says. “If they report it, we need to address it.”
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