Gaby
A team from Huazhong University of Science and Technology found that people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are three times more likely to develop early-onset dementia, which is defined as dementia before age 65.
The researchers used data from the UK Biobank, covering more than 440,000 participants aged 37 to 73. The team set out to explore the link between socioeconomic status and early cognitive decline. Their analysis drew on information collected between 2007 and 2010, with follow-up data from 2022.
They examined participants’ family wealth, education, and employment status, as reported by The Guardian. The team also evaluated lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol use, physical activity, and diet.
The results showed that people in the lowest socioeconomic group had a threefold higher risk of developing early dementia than people in higher socioeconomic groups.
Only 12 percent of early dementia cases in the study were explained by unhealthy lifestyles. That means many people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who keep healthier habits still face an increased risk of early cognitive decline.
The study also found that people who engage in unhealthy lifestyles have a 440 percent higher risk of developing early dementia compared with people from higher socioeconomic groups who follow healthy lifestyles.
The authors say this is one of the first studies to examine how socioeconomic status, healthy lifestyles, and early dementia interact.
The study demonstrated a link between socioeconomic status and early-onset dementia, but it had limited ethnic diversity: more than 85 percent of participants were of European descent.
The findings were published in the journal Lancet Healthy Longevity.
