education, occupation and wealth influence your risks

Dementia brings together several diseases affecting memory, thinking and the ability to carry out daily tasks. Alzheimer’s disease is notably the most common cause of dementia. “Dementia gets worse over time. It mainly affects older people, but not all older people are affected”recalled the World Health Organization (OMS).

What is the impact of socio-economic situation on cognitive health?

In a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers from University College London (UCL) determined whether social economic factors, such as education, occupation and wealth, affect the risks of developing cognitive dementia later in life.

For the purposes of this work, scientists assessed 8,442 adults aged 50 and over living in England from 2008/09 to 2018/19. The objective was to observe whether socio-economic factors were associated with changes in cognitive state.

Thanks to self-questionnaires, volunteers provided information on their professional lives, their higher education or their personal wealth. As for cognitive disorders, they were assessed through a doctor’s diagnosis, cognitive test results and the participants’ reported symptoms. These different elements made it possible to draw up a complete picture of the cognitive health of each subject.

Dementia: having completed higher education would reduce the risks

According to the results, participants from more advantaged socio-economic backgrounds were at less risk of progressing from a healthy cognitive state to mild cognitive impairment, or from mild cognitive impairment to dementia compared to volunteers in manual or road work positions belonging to more disadvantaged social and economic categories.

In detail, people who had completed higher education (BTS, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, etc.) had a 43% lower risk of going from a healthy cognitive state to a mild cognitive impairment. The researchers also noted that being in the richest third of the population was linked to a 26% lower risk of progressing from mild cognitive impairment to dementia.

Additionally, socioeconomically advantaged individuals were also more likely to recover from mild cognitive impairment and return to a healthy cognitive state. For example, volunteers with a post-baccalaureate level of education had 81% more likely to do better compared to people who have not completed higher education. “Our findings highlight the potential protective power of financial stability and access to resources in promoting brain health and cognitive resilience, highlighting the importance of social policies that support mental and cognitive well-being at all income levels”, noted Dr Dorina Cadar, lead author of the study, dementia researcher at UCL and associate professor in cognitive epidemiology and dementia at Brighton and Sussex Medical School.