Affiliations:
Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: Sara E. Dingle, Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Tel.: +61 3 9244 5097; E-mail: [email protected].
Abstract: Background:
Dementia, with the most common form being Alzheimer’s disease, is a global health issue and lifestyle-based strategies may reduce risk. Individuals with a family history of dementia are an important target group, but little is known about their attitudes and perceptions of dementia risk reduction. Objective:
To elucidate the attitudes to and key considerations for multidomain lifestyle-based dementia prevention strategies in middle-aged Australians with a family history of dementia. Methods:
Twenty participants (80% female; age range 47–65 years), undertook semi-structured phone-based interviews. Inductive thematic analysis of interview transcripts was conducted. Hierarchical coding frames and illustrative quotes were compiled and critically challenged until a final set of themes was produced. Results:
Some participants expressed a positive attitude toward lifestyle-based dementia prevention. Reasons related to wanting to future proof, believing that risk reduction is relevant at all life stages and/or that there is always room for improvement. Other participants had a negative attitude, expressing that they were already following a healthy lifestyle, did not feel it was relevant to them yet, and/or held a deterministic view that dementia is random. Important considerations congregated on the themes of being tailored/personalized, taking a holistic approach, and involving small, achievable steps. Conclusions:
In individuals with a family history of dementia, a positive attitude to dementia prevention holds promise for intervention efforts, but in individuals expressing negative attitudes, further education and individual-level counselling may be warranted. Multidomain lifestyle-based preventive strategies also need to be tailored to the needs of key target groups to optimize appeal and effectiveness.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, lifestyle, prevention, qualitative study
