Longevity & AgingDementia Risk Varies Drastically by Country, Global Study of 214,000 Finds
A large international study of over 214,000 older adults across 14 countries found that dementia risk factors vary dramatically by region. Low education affected 85.6% of older adults in China but only 12% in the U.S., while obesity was a risk factor for nearly 45% of Americans but just 13.3% of people in India. Despite these differences, certain risk clusters — cardiovascular risks, smoking, alcohol use, and sensory impairments — appeared consistently across populations. More than half of all individuals had at least two risk factors. Published in Lancet Healthy Longevity, the findings call for region-specific dementia prevention strategies rather than a single global approach, with implications for governments, health systems, and communities worldwide.
