MONDAY, July 13, 2026 (NewsDay News) — Variation is seen in the prevalence and patterns of risk factors for dementia, but similar clusters of risk factors are seen across countries and regions, according to a study published online July 12. Lancet Healthy Living.
Emma Nichols, Ph.D., of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional comparative study using coordinated data from 14 countries and regions, including high-income countries (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Individuals aged 50 years and older from 11 nationally representative aging studies were included to assess differences in the prevalence and patterns of 12 established binary risk factors for dementia.
Data were included for 214,251 respondents. The researchers observed differences in the prevalence and patterns of risk factors between HIC and LMIC. For example, many LMICs had low literacy prevalence (85.6 percent in China vs. 12.0 percent in the United States), while obesity prevalence was higher in HICs compared to LMICs (44.9 percent and 13.3 percent in the United States and India, respectively). Differences were seen in the distribution of risk factors by age group, gender and education; patterns were not consistent across settings. Across settings, there was overlap in risk factors; in all countries and regions, more than 50 percent of people had at least two risk factors. Across settings, similar clusters of risk factors related to cardiovascular disease, risk behaviors, and social or emotional factors were observed.
“I am less struck by the differences and more struck by some of the similarities, particularly in the ways these risks are shaped across settings,” Nichols said in a statement.
