A population-based study in Australia has shown that the quality of your neighborhood can affect the risk of developing dementia later in life.
The research was based on the health data of over 4,000 people from various states and regions between 2016 and 2020. None of the participants had been formally diagnosed with dementia, and they were between the ages of 40 and 70.
The authors found that those who lived in wealthier neighborhoods scored higher on memory tests and lower on dementia risk tests.
Older adults and individuals with higher dementia scores had the biggest differences.
The authors conclude that the data shows that people in more disadvantaged neighborhoods have higher dementia risk scores and subtle differences in memory.
Recent research in the United States has found a higher incidence of Alzheimer's disease among disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Other studies in the United Kingdom have found a higher risk of dementia among individuals with a lower personal socioeconomic status.
There are various psychological, social and environmental factors that could be impacting these results. Public health experts can try to tackle the problem with the most efficient method.
Exposure to air pollution in China and Mexico City has been linked to cognitive decline in young people. Air pollution tends to be worse in disadvantaged neighborhoods, which could be related to the memory problems in lower socio-economic groups.
Diet could be at play. The Mediterranean diet shows potential benefits for cognitive function as we age, but healthy foods like vegetables, berries, nuts, olive oil, and fish are more expensive, and adherence to this diet is associated with a higher socio-economic status.
It's possible that access to green spaces, which tend to be few and far between in disadvantaged neighborhoods, may be another factor impacting cognitive health among older adults.
Up to 40 percent of dementia cases are preventable, so if experts can figure out what risk factors might mitigate cognitive decline, we could potentially protect a large chunk of the aging population from this common group of conditions.
With healthy lifestyle habits a key factor in reducing or delaying your risk of developing dementia, it is important for everyone to have access to local facilities such as gyms and public pools, green spaces and health care, but unfortunately that is not always the case.
More research is needed to better understand the barriers for people so that informed solutions can be delivered at a community level.
The study was published in a journal.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
