Dukelow Tim, Lawrence Erin Grace, Jacobson Liron, Vassilev Philip, Koychev Ivan, Muhammed Kinan, Kennelly Sean P
Cork University Hospital (CUH), Cork, Ireland.
Unit of Psychological Medicine, Centre for Psychiatry and Mental Health, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom.
Front Psychol. 2023 Jan 12;13:1070259. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1070259. eCollection 2022.
Up to 40% of dementias globally are attributable to modifiable risk factors. Many existing studies examining attitudes to brain health are limited by a failure to consider a range of pertinent risk factors and associated barriers to protective behaviors. In Ireland, self-reported knowledge of dementia is poor compared to other conditions. In this context, the current study aimed to explore exposure to and awareness of specific modifiable risk factors for dementia. We also aimed to investigate whether exposure to these risk factors is associated with demographic and socioeconomic factors. A cross-sectional survey was administered to 555 voluntary participants in February 2022. The survey captured the following information: (1) Sociodemographic factors; (2) Exposure to, as well as knowledge of modifiable risk factors for dementia, namely diet, social interaction, exercise, hypertension, sleep, depression, smoking, alcohol consumption, cognitive stimulation, hearing impairment, diabetes, air pollution, and head injury. The study population comprised 551 participants (50.3% male; 49.6% female). Mean age was 59.7 years. Modifiable risk factors for dementia were prevalent. Relative to females, male gender was significantly associated with multiple risk factors. Whilst 65.6% of participants believed that lifestyle improvements can decrease a person's risk of developing dementia, only 31.4% believed that dementia could be prevented. Head injury (90.9%, = 500), low mental stimulation (85.3%, = 469), and alcohol consumption (77.8%, = 428) were the three most commonly recognized risk factors. Awareness was significantly greater in both university groups (undergraduate and postgraduate) for multiple risk factors. Our findings demonstrate that the distribution of exposure to modifiable risk factors for dementia is unequal across gender and age groups, and that awareness levels vary across risk factors. These findings highlight that focus surrounding dementia prevention should shift toward individual risk profiling and should be tailored toward an individual's specific needs.
全球高达40%的痴呆症可归因于可改变的风险因素。许多现有研究在考察对大脑健康的态度时，因未考虑一系列相关风险因素及保护性行为的相关障碍而受到限制。在爱尔兰，与其他疾病相比，自我报告的痴呆症知识水平较低。在此背景下，本研究旨在探讨对痴呆症特定可改变风险因素的接触情况和认知程度。我们还旨在调查接触这些风险因素是否与人口统计学和社会经济因素相关。2022年2月对555名自愿参与者进行了一项横断面调查。该调查收集了以下信息：（1）社会人口统计学因素；（2）对痴呆症可改变风险因素的接触情况以及相关知识，即饮食、社交互动、运动、高血压、睡眠、抑郁、吸烟、饮酒、认知刺激、听力障碍、糖尿病、空气污染和头部受伤。研究人群包括551名参与者（男性占50.3%；女性占49.6%）。平均年龄为59.7岁。痴呆症的可改变风险因素普遍存在。相对于女性，男性与多种风险因素显著相关。虽然65.6%的参与者认为改善生活方式可以降低一个人患痴呆症的风险，但只有31.4%的人认为痴呆症可以预防。头部受伤（90.9%，n = 500）、低水平的精神刺激（85.3%，n = 469）和饮酒（77.8%，n = 428）是最常被认可的三个风险因素。两个大学群体（本科生和研究生）对多种风险因素的认知明显更高。我们的研究结果表明，痴呆症可改变风险因素的接触分布在性别和年龄组之间不平等，并且认知水平因风险因素而异。这些发现凸显出，围绕痴呆症预防的重点应转向个体风险评估，并应根据个体的特定需求进行调整。
