A new study led by Curtin University has revealed millions of dementia cases across the Western Pacific Region could potentially be prevented by implementing country-specific strategies to address key risk factors such as education access, obesity and mental health.
The research team analysed data from 32 countries across the Western Pacific, which includes Oceania, the Pacific and East and Southeast Asia.
It examined nine modifiable risk factors for dementia (low education, obesity, physical inactivity, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, hearing loss, depression and alcohol misuse) before calculating how much each factor contributed to dementia in each country.
The Western Pacific is home to nearly 1.9 billion people and accounts for 20 million of the world's estimated 55 million people living with dementia, with cases in the region projected to triple to more than 76 million by 2050.
The research found up to 35 per cent of dementia cases across the region could be prevented if risk factors were targeted based on their impact on dementia in each country, rather than taking a global, one-size-fits-all approach.
Study lead Dr Claire Burley, from the Curtin enAble Institute, said the findings highlight a major opportunity for prevention and went beyond identifying risk factors to show how their impact varied widely depending on a country's economic and social context.
"We found it's not just what increases dementia risk that matters, but where you live," Dr Burley said.
"The same risk factor can have very different impacts depending on a country's income level, healthcare system and education opportunities.
"For example, we found low education was the biggest dementia contributor in lower-middle-income countries, while diabetes and depression were more prominent in higher-income countries."
For Australia, the study found dementia risk is driven more by lifestyle and mental health, with depression and obesity the biggest contributors.
Dementia Australia Honorary Medical Advisor and Chair of Dementia Professor Blossom Stephan said dementia was one of the greatest health challenges facing Australia and our region.
"It impacts not only the individual living with the condition, but their family, carers and the entire community," Professor Stephan said.
"This research shows targeted investment in prevention, from early education to healthy ageing programs, could meaningfully reduce the number of people impacted.
"We have an opportunity and an obligation to act on that."
Dr Burley said while global estimates are useful, they could mask important local differences.
"If we want to reduce dementia cases, prevention strategies need to reflect each country's unique risk profile," Dr Burley said.
The study recommends prioritising diabetes, hearing loss and smoking risk factors across the region, improving education access in lower-income countries and expanding mental health and chronic disease prevention in higher-income nations.
With 24 countries in the region currently lacking a national dementia plan, Dr Burley said implementing strategies tailored to each country's population could significantly reduce future dementia cases.
"The good news is that a substantial proportion of dementia is potentially preventable," Dr Burley said.
"By focusing on the right risk factors in the right places, we have a real opportunity to make a meaningful difference."
Country-specific modifiable dementia risk factors across the Western Pacific Region determined by population attributable fraction was published in The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific.
