Public Health Campaign to Prevent Dementia: An Unmet and Critical Need

Abstract

This paper draws attention to the significant public health challenge that dementia represents in Australia as one of the leading causes of death and disease burden. In Australia alone, the number of people living with dementia is expected to double within 30 years. Evidence suggests that almost half of all dementia cases worldwide could be prevented by addressing modifiable risk factors across the life course. With no effective medical treatment or cure for dementia, it stands to reason that economic investment should be directed towards preventing dementia and reducing risk by addressing modifiable risk factors at both individual and population levels. Attention must be afforded to the health inequities that exist, and consideration given to appropriate messaging and approaches to target the various cultural, commercial and social determinants of health associated with increased dementia risk across different population groups. Furthermore, critical messaging about dementia risk is largely absent from health campaigns, contributing to the low levels of understanding and awareness of dementia in the Australian public. Therefore, there is a need for urgent investment in a co-designed large-scale public health campaign targeting key modifiable risk factors for dementia to improve population brain health and reduce the societal impact of this condition.