High Impact Practices Student Showcase Spring 2025

The association between disease burden and Alzheimer's hospitalization rates in older adults.
Files
Download The association between Alzheimer's disease burden and hospitalization rates in older adults..pdf (350 KB)
Course Code
HSC
Course Number
4501
Faculty/Instructor
Dr. Jiang
Faculty/Instructor Email
qianxia.jiang@ucf.edu
Abstract, Summary, or Creative Statement
Dementia refers to symptoms that impair daily life, including social and intellectual abilities, with memory loss being a key feature. Conditions such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, Huntington’s Disease, and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) are major causes of memory loss. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disorder that deteriorates memory and thinking skills, characterized by withdrawal from social activities, mood changes, and confusion about time or place.
Age is the leading risk factor for Alzheimer’s, alongside non-modifiable factors like genetics and family history. Modifiable factors include physical activity, smoking, education, and social engagement. The Alzheimer’s Association’s 2024 fact sheet emphasizes the need for more research on how social engagement impacts cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s.
Initially, this study aimed to examine the link between social isolation in Alzheimer’s patients and hospitalization. However, due to limitations in the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) data, which only provided statewide statistics, the focus shifted to assessing the severity of health problems and their impact on daily functioning. Findings, based on FLHealthCHARTS and three published abstracts, do not conclusively show an association between disease burden and hospitalization but highlight potential connections that warrant further investigation.
I’ve learned the importance of attention to detail and diligence, as this research wasn’t easy.
Keywords
Alzheimer’s Disease, Quality of Life (QoL), Burden of Disease, Hospitalization, Florida
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Autumn, "The association between disease burden and Alzheimer's hospitalization rates in older adults." (2024). High Impact Practices Student Showcase Spring 2025. 17.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hip-2025spring/17
