Social determinants of dementia: A scoping review

2025/07/01 by Sebastian Walsh, Matthias Klee, Esther K. Hui +17 · 2 voices · 20 citations
Health Professions · Medicine · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Dementia #Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research #Disease #Environmental health #Ethnic group #Geriatric Care and Nursing Homes #Gerontology #Health disparities and outcomes #MEDLINE #Medicine #Political science #Population #Psychiatry #Psychological intervention #Psychology #Public health #Social determinants of health #Socioeconomic status #Sociology #Systematic review

paper · pdf · doi:10.1002/alz.70524

published in Alzheimer s & Dementia 21(7), e70524 (Wiley)

openalex publication_date 2025/07/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04

Abstract

Dementia risk is influenced by the social conditions in which people live. These social determinants of dementia (SDOD) are potential targets for prevention. We conducted a comprehensive scoping review to identify current evidence on SDOD in two stages: (1) review of systematic reviews on SDOD; and (2) review of primary literature to address identified gaps in the evidence base. Of the 3445 articles screened, 26 reviews and 74 primary studies were included. Evidence from reviews provide clear and consistent patterns for some SDOD (e.g., education, air pollution, socioeconomic status, ethnicity), while evidence for others is still emerging (e.g., housing quality/stability), or lacking entirely (e.g., incarceration). SDOD are important over the life course. Additional evidence is needed for understudied domains and to unravel the complex interactions between determinants, whilst education and air pollution stand out as key targets for public health interventions. HIGHLIGHTS: There is clear and consistent evidence for some social determinants of dementia (SDOD) across diverse domains. Evidence for other SDOD (e.g., housing, incarceration) is still emerging or lacking. Evidence for SDOD comes mainly from high-income countries. The complex intercorrelations between SDODs demand a nuanced analytical approach. Standardized measures and longer follow-up to study SDOD are recommended.

Cited by

• Impact of modifiable risk factors, including diabetes, and diabetes-related complications, on dementia risk in older U.S. adults: mutually adjusted estimates from a population-based cohort
• Advancing Mental Health Equity in Epilepsy: Social Determinants of Health Across the Lifespan. [europepmc]
• Characteristics of publicly available digital dementia risk screening tools: A scoping review. [europepmc]
• Co-exploring how environments shape brain health through a planetary health lens: a photovoice study in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. [europepmc]
• Decentralizing dementia research to the US-Mexico border: the Rio Grande Valley AD-RCMAR as a model for translational equity. [europepmc]
• Integrating contextual determinants and polygenic risk to examine dementia and late-life cognition in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. [europepmc]
• Association Between Relative Fat Mass and Risk of Cognitive Impairment: The Role of Social Determinants of Health. [europepmc]
• The principles of Population-Level Approaches to Dementia Risk Reduction (PLADRR). [europepmc]
• NAD + ‒circadian rhythm coupling in dementia. [europepmc]
• The characteristics and performance of health data domains in supporting dementia identification: A systematic review. [europepmc]
• The unsung heroes of traditional healers in healing and traditional medicine in dementia care for Indigenous populations in North America: an exploration of a compassionate, community-led care model. [europepmc]
• Non-economic social deprivation and cognitive functioning later in life: Results from the DELCODE study. [europepmc]
• Social vulnerability shapes deep clinical phenotypes and brain health in aging and dementia across Latin America. [europepmc]
• Tackling social determinants of dementia will require qualitative research with the public and professionals. [europepmc]

Discussions

• What evidence do we have on the Social Determinants of Dementia (SDOD)? Delighted that this scoping review, a year or so in the making, is now published in @alzdemjournals.bsky.social. Expertly led [bsky, 14 points, 1 comments]
• 📢 Very happy to see our DEMON Network WG scoping review on the social determinants of dementia published today. Coincidentally came out on the same day that many of the co-authors met in person for [bsky, 1 points, 0 comments]

Related

• Target risk factors for dementia prevention: a systematic review and Delphi consensus study on the evidence from observational studies
• Differences in the prevalence and patterns of dementia risk factors across 14 countries and regions: a harmonised cross-national analysis
• Dementia prevalence in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study
• Population-level interventions for the primary prevention of dementia: a complex evidence review
• Dementia Prevention and Individual and Socioeconomic Barriers: Avoiding “Lifestyle” Stigma