Researchers call for broader approach to dementia prevention in Australia
In Australia, dementia prevention should not be limited to people’s personal decisions about diet, physical activity or social life, according to the authors of a Curtin University study. As ABC News Australia reports, the researchers called for social, environmental and political factors affecting brain health to be taken into account.
61 risk factors
The study, funded by Dementia Australia, covered 61 risk factors, ranging from lifestyle to socioeconomic status. Of these, 49, or 80% of the total, were classified by the researchers as individual-level factors. Significantly fewer factors concerned interpersonal or societal levels.
The authors noted that education, housing conditions, neighbourhood safety, access to healthcare, clean air and social connections often remain outside the focus, although growing evidence indicates their impact on people’s ability to care for brain health.
Conditions for a healthy lifestyle
Study author Jennifer Dunn gave physical activity as an example: the ability to engage in it depends on a safe environment and access to safe and affordable places to exercise. She stressed that important dementia risk factors are not always exclusively under an individual’s control.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
University of New South Wales cognitive disorders researcher Simone Reppermund, who was not involved in the work, said the study points to the need for a better understanding of the role of sociological, economic and environmental conditions in dementia prevention. According to her, these factors are closely linked to individual behaviour, but are insufficiently considered in research and policy.
In 2024, a major study identified 14 potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia, including high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, insufficient physical activity, smoking and hearing loss. It showed that addressing many of these factors in midlife could potentially prevent 45% of dementia cases.
According to Dementia Australia, about 446,500 Australians are living with dementia, and the figure is projected to exceed one million by 2065.
