Brain Health Insights Among Asian American and Pacific Islander Adults

Brain health is a top health priority for many Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) adults. Yet misconceptions about dementia and limited awareness of personal risk remain common. This report explores social engagement, sleep habits, dementia knowledge, perceived risk of developing dementia, and willingness to adopt behaviors that support cognitive health.

Drawing on data from the Amplify AAPI Panel, the nation’s first multilingual, probability-based survey panel designed to represent AAPI adults, the report provides nationally representative insights into brain health attitudes and behaviors across AAPI communities. Findings highlight opportunities to strengthen dementia awareness, promote brain-healthy lifestyles, and develop culturally relevant outreach strategies that support healthy aging and cognitive well-being.

Key insights

• Interest in brain-healthy behaviors is high: Most AAPI adults say they would engage in mentally stimulating activities (80%), eat a healthy diet (75%), get enough sleep (74%), and exercise regularly (72%) if they knew those behaviors could help maintain mental functioning.
• Intentions do not always translate into action: Although many express willingness to adopt brain-healthy behaviors, only about half (51%) report getting at least seven hours of sleep most nights or every night, and 59% socialize with friends or family at least weekly.
• Dementia misconceptions remain common: Four in 10 AAPI adults (41%) believe dementia is a normal part of aging, while fewer than half (45%) correctly recognize that there is currently no cure for dementia.
• Perceived dementia risk is low: Only 15% of AAPI adults believe they are very or extremely likely to develop dementia as they age, suggesting limited personal risk awareness despite prevalence growing with age.
• Differences across communities highlight the need for tailored information and outreach: Variations by nativity and ethnic subgroups suggest that culturally relevant, subgroup-specific education and communication strategies are needed to improve dementia literacy and encourage brain-healthy behaviors. Immigrant AAPI adults, for example, are more likely to hold dementia misconceptions but also show greater willingness to adopt protective behaviors.

Methodology

These findings are based on a nationally representative survey of 1,029 Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) adults 18 and older, conducted December 2 to 8, 2025, using NORC’s Amplify AAPI, a probability-based survey panel designed to represent AAPI adults and collect data in multiple Asian languages. Data were weighted to align with population benchmarks from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey (ACS) five-year estimates, including age, sex, education, nativity, region, and Asian origin.

For more information, please contact Matrika Chapagain at mchapagain@aarp.org. For media inquiries, contact External Relations at media@aarp.org.