How socioeconomic status and healthy lifestyle choices combine to influence dementia risk, highlighting the impact of lifestyle on cognitive decline across SES groups. Study: Associations of socioeconomic status and healthy lifestyle with incident dementia and cognitive decline: two prospective cohort studies. Image Credit: perfectlab / Shutterstock.
com A recent review published in The Lancet eClinical Medicine examines how socioeconomic status (SES) and healthy lifestyle factors interact to affect the risk of dementia. SES and disease SES is a complex of multiple factors, including income, education level, and occupation, that collectively refer to an individual’s social and economic position within society. The role of socioeconomic inequality in many medical conditions, including dementia, is well-established; however, the proportion of this risk that can be attributed to an unhealthy lifestyle remains unclear.
For example, one recent study reported that an unhealthy lifestyle is not the main contributor to the effects of socioeconomic inequality on the risk of cardiovascular disease and death. Several behavioral risk factors exist for dementia, including smoking, drinking, and social engagement, are modifiable. Therefore, it is crucial to determine the weighted impact of an unhealthy lifestyle on the development of dementia.
About the study The aim of the current study was to understand whether overall lifestyle contributes to the link between SES and dementia and how t.