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Dementia risk literacy in older Australians: beyond knowledge
Claire Eccleston1, Alex Kitsos1, James Vickers1
1Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, University of Tasmania, 15-17 Liverpool Street, Hobart, Tas 7000, Australia.
Public Health Research & Practice
|October 24, 2025
Summary
Understanding dementia risk is key to prevention. While many know about lifestyle changes like exercise, they struggle to identify false prevention myths, highlighting a need for clearer public health messaging on dementia risk reduction.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Public Health
- Gerontology
Background:
- Dementia risk knowledge influences preventive behaviors.
- Previous research focused mainly on risk factor awareness.
- Understanding dementia prevention requires assessing broader knowledge beyond just risk factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically assess general dementia risk knowledge.
- To evaluate participants' recognition of evidence-based dementia risk mitigation strategies.
- To identify common misconceptions about purported dementia prevention strategies.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study utilizing the Knowledge of Dementia Risk Reduction survey instrument.
- Assessed general dementia risk knowledge, recognition of mitigation strategies, and appraisal of misconceptions.
- Survey administered to participants in an Australian online public health cohort study.
Main Results:
- 79.5% believed dementia is preventable; recognized strategies included physical activity, social, and cognitive stimulation.
- Participants showed moderate knowledge of general dementia risk and modifiable risk reduction.
- Poor appraisal of misconceptions (e.g., aluminum exposure); only 5.0% scored midrange or higher on misconception appraisal.
Conclusions:
- Assessing multiple components of dementia risk literacy provides deeper insights.
- Participants demonstrated some knowledge but poor understanding of dementia risk misconceptions.
- Findings can inform targeted public health campaigns for effective dementia risk reduction.
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