Up to half of all dementia cases could be prevented or delayed by addressing modifiable risk factors, but current public health campaigns may not be doing enough to drive real behavior change, according to a new study published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity.
The study analyzed public health campaigns and programs across eight countries, including the United States, Australia, Belgium, China, and Denmark. These ranged from mass media campaigns to interactive interventions like personalized risk profiling and community-based programs.
Dementia affects more than 57 million people worldwide, and that number is projected to nearly triple by 2050, according to the study. The Lancet Commission in 2024 identified 14 modifiable risk factors and estimated that half of all cases could be prevented or delayed.
“Around half of all cases are linked to modifiable risk factors, so there is real scope to reduce risk, yet many people still believe nothing can be done,” said Mario Siervo, PhD, professor of human nutrition at Curtin University in Australia and senior author of the study. “Finding effective ways to change that belief is one of the biggest opportunities in dementia research.”
Related: Transgender Women Find Non‑Hormonal Transition Paths
Awareness campaigns show limited behavior change
Researchers found that while large-scale dementia prevention awareness campaigns reach a wide audience, they often lead to only small improvements in knowledge and limited changes in behavior. Siervo explained that the effect for any one person may be modest, but campaigns reach enormous numbers, and a small shift across a whole population can add up to a meaningful public health impact.
For people worried about their dementia risk, the gap between knowing the right lifestyle changes and making them stick is often wider than public health campaigns can bridge. The study suggests that simply telling someone to exercise more or eat better rarely works on its own — people need more direct help to turn knowledge into action.
Personalized risk assessments drive real change
The study found that more interactive approaches had a more consistent effect in motivating people to make lifestyle changes than passive information campaigns. The most promising intervention combined a personalized risk assessment with structured education, resulting in a 26% improvement in modifiable risk factor status over three years.
“People change when they are actively engaged, not simply informed,” Siervo said. “Clinicians and health professionals should inform people that prevention is possible and show them what they can do about it.”
Related: Study Finds Three Foods Aid Type 2 Diabetes
Jonathan Rosand, a neurologist at Mass General Brigham and professor at Harvard Medical School, noted that survey work has shown most Americans already know the basic modifiable risk factors for dementia, with knowledge levels as high as 95% for diet. But healthy practice rates are as low as 33% for sleep. “This review confirms what I see in clinic: Telling some
Manisha Parulekar, chief of the Division of Geriatrics at Hackensack University Medical Center, said healthcare professionals should move toward more personalized and interactive approaches, including online education, individualized risk assessments, and community-based programs. “Access to various lifestyle interventions is just as important,” she said. “Embedding these services as a standard part of healthcare can also be very helpful.”
Parulekar added that future research should focus on the long-term effectiveness and scalability of these interventions. “It is important to investigate how to best implement these programs in a way that is both cost-effective and culturally relevant for diverse populations,” she said.
Leave a Reply