Social Environment, Lifestyle, and Genetic Predisposition With Dementia Risk: A Long-Term Longitudinal Study Among...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology and Public Health
• Neuroscience and Aging Research
• Social Epidemiology

Background:

• The impact of the social environment, encompassing social determinants of health (SDOHs), on dementia development remains incompletely understood.
• Investigating the aggregate effect of SDOHs is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of dementia etiology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel polysocial risk score for dementia.
• To assess the association between the social environment and dementia risk.
• To explore interactions between social environment, lifestyle factors, and racial disparities in dementia risk.

Main Methods:

• A polysocial risk score was created using 19 SDOH in 5,199 participants from the Health and Retirement Study.
• Survival analysis was employed to examine the relationship between the social environment and dementia risk from 2006 to 2020.
• Interactions between social environment and lifestyle, along with racial disparities, were investigated.

Main Results:

• Each 1-point increase in the polysocial risk score correlated with a 21.6% increased dementia risk (aHR=1.21).
• Among individuals with high social risk, regular exercise and moderate alcohol consumption were linked to a 43%-60% reduced dementia risk (p < .001).
• African Americans exhibited a 2.28-fold higher risk of dementia compared to European Americans (aHR=2.28).

Conclusions:

• An adverse social environment is associated with elevated dementia risk, yet healthy lifestyles can mitigate this risk.
• The polysocial risk score can enhance existing tools for identifying high-risk populations.
• Findings support the development of targeted social interventions, emphasizing companionship, to prevent dementia.