Centre for Health Systems and Safety Research, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, New South Wales, Australia.
The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia.
Australas J Ageing. 2022 Sep;41(3):466-472. doi: 10.1111/ajag.13105. Epub 2022 Jul 17.
Currently, individuals living in rural and remote areas experience 1.4 times the total burden of chronic disease, including an 80% greater risk of late-life cognitive impairment and dementia, 2.5 times the number of preventable hospitalisations and a reduced life expectancy of up to 12 years compared to their metropolitan counterparts. Traditionally, health service planning and public health interventions have been largely built on the needs and characteristics of metropolitan populations. This disproportional focus can contribute to significant physical and cognitive health status disparities for rural and remote communities. This article focuses on existing challenges and strategies surrounding the cognitive health of rural and remote populations and provides short and long-term opportunities involving Australian public health policy and clinical practice to innovate dementia prevention for rural and remote communities.
目前，农村和偏远地区的居民所承受的慢性病负担总量是城市居民的 1.4 倍，包括晚年认知障碍和痴呆的风险高 80%，可预防的住院次数多 2.5 倍，预期寿命比城市居民短 12 年。传统上，卫生服务规划和公共卫生干预措施主要基于城市人口的需求和特征。这种不成比例的关注可能导致农村和偏远社区在身体和认知健康状况方面存在显著差异。本文重点介绍了农村和偏远地区人口认知健康方面的现有挑战和应对策略，并为澳大利亚公共卫生政策和临床实践提供了短期和长期的机会，以创新农村和偏远社区的痴呆症预防措施。
