A new study by a team of interdisciplinary ageing researchers has revealed that an adverse social environment can significantly increase the risk of developing dementia.
A new study by a team of interdisciplinary ageing researchers has revealed that an adverse social environment can significantly increase the risk of developing dementia.
Dementia is a term used to describe a group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking and social abilities. There is a growing body of evidence that suggests in addition to genetics, a range of lifestyle and environment factors greatly contribute to the risk of developing dementia.
For the study, 5,199 participants in the Health and Retirement Study were analysed, creating a polysocial risk score based on 19 social determinants of health to measure social environmental risk. Participants with a mean age of 73.4 years were followed over the span of 6 years. During this period, 1,089 participants developed dementia.
The study found that each one-point increase in the polysocial risk score was associated with a 21.6% higher risk of developing dementia. Crucially, the research highlighted that healthy lifestyle choices could mitigate this risk. Among those with high social environmental risk, regular exercise and moderate drinking reduced the risk of developing dementia by up to 60%.
Shu Chen, former Institute student member and PhD candidate at the UNSW School of Risk and Actuarial Studies is the lead author on the recent publication. The study also included several Institute members as coauthors, including Professor Hazel Bateman, Professor Bingqing Li, Dr Yafei Si and Associate Professor Katja Hanewald.
“The findings suggest that improving the social environment and promoting healthy lifestyles can significantly reduce dementia risk. The polysocial risk score can help identify high-risk individuals and guide targeted interventions to improve social conditions for older adults, focusing on increasing companionship and support to prevent dementia.” said Dr. Chen.
“The study also uncovered racial disparities, with African Americans being 1.3 times more likely to develop dementia compared to European Americans. This research underscores the critical role of social determinants in dementia risk and highlights the potential for targeted interventions to improve outcomes for at-risk populations.”
Access the full publication here.