A groundbreaking study by the Brown School and the School of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis has unveiled a crucial link between social determinants of health and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
Published in the journal Innovation in Aging, the research underscores the importance of addressing social factors early in life as a strategy for preventing these cognitive disorders.
Jean-Francois Trani, an associate professor at the Brown School and the leading author of the study, emphasizes the need for public policies that tackle social determinants from the get-go.
He advocates for the provision of free, quality universal healthcare and education, fair labor market access, and secure housing for everyone, especially the most vulnerable populations.
The study focused on older adults in the Punjab and Sindh provinces of Pakistan, analyzing data from individuals aged 50 and above.
It utilized a comprehensive approach to measure poverty, comparing it between those with and without dementia based on the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale. This comparison took into account factors like sex, age, marital status, and household size.
Ganesh Babulal, an associate professor of neurology at the School of Medicine and the study’s last author, pointed out that the findings highlight how structural and social determinants of health significantly contribute to the risk of dementia.
According to Babulal, the research presents various opportunities for interventions through public health, precision medicine, and economic policies to mitigate this risk.
This study aligns with similar research conducted by Trani’s group in Afghanistan and South Africa, further strengthening the argument that social determinants play a critical role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
By shedding light on these associations, the study advocates for a multidimensional approach to dementia prevention, one that encompasses economic, social, and healthcare strategies to combat the rising tide of cognitive decline globally.
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The research findings can be found in Innovation in Aging.
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