{"id":31521,"date":"2026-07-02T10:33:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T02:33:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/?post_type=media-release&p=31521"},"modified":"2026-07-02T10:33:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T02:33:41","slug":"almost-half-of-dementia-cases-could-be-prevented-but-change-is-needed","status":"publish","type":"media-release","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/media-release\/almost-half-of-dementia-cases-could-be-prevented-but-change-is-needed\/","title":{"rendered":"Almost half of dementia cases could be prevented \u2013 but change is needed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nearly half of dementia cases could be prevented by tackling modifiable risk factors such as physical inactivity, smoking, low education or social isolation, but new Curtin University research<\/a> suggests current public health approaches are falling short of driving real behaviour change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A major international review published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity<\/em> has found while large-scale health awareness campaigns for dementia prevention can reach wide audiences, they often lead to only small improvements in knowledge and limited changes in behaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study analysed public health campaigns and programs across eight countries and found more engaging, personalised and community-driven approaches were needed to genuinely influence behaviour and reduce dementia risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Study author Professor Mario Siervo<\/a>, from Curtin\u2019s School of Population Health<\/a>, said the findings showed a clear gap between what people know and what they do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUp to 45 per cent of dementia cases are linked to modifiable factors we can change, such as our lifestyle, health status and environment,\u201d Professor Siervo said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut simply telling people what those risks are isn\u2019t enough; awareness campaigns are important, but on their own they rarely lead to meaningful or lasting behaviour change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Siervo also said a second new study<\/a> conducted by the group has provided further evidence on the relevance of modifiable risk factors for dementia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The results indicated that muscle strength and body composition play a significant role in dementia risk, highlighting the need for more targeted prevention approaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Curtin-led research followed nearly 500,000 adults over more than a decade and found people with both low muscle strength and excess body fat \u2014 known as sarcopenic obesity \u2014 had a higher risk of developing dementia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast, obesity on its own was not associated with increased dementia risk if muscle strength was preserved, highlighting the importance of muscle health alongside maintaining an optimal body composition in dementia prevention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chair in Dementia at Curtin\u2019s enAble Institute<\/a> and co-author Professor Blossom Stephan<\/a> said many people still did not realise dementia risk could be reduced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is still a widespread belief that dementia is an unavoidable part of ageing, which is not the case,\u201d Professor Stephan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut even when people are aware of the risks, barriers such as time, cost and motivation can prevent them from making changes to their lifestyle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The review found interactive approaches were consistently more effective in motivating people to make lifestyle changes than passive information campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n