Dementia Risk Reduction Summit Call for Public Input

The goal of the Dementia Risk Reduction Summit is to identify actions that public health agencies can take to address dementia risk factors. Suggestions and options for action will be included in a post-Summit report. If you have thoughts and ideas that you would like reviewed and considered, please take a few minutes to answer our questions below.

Please note: While there are a variety of vehicles for addressing dementia risk (e.g., the aging network, individual medical practice), the Summit is focused on ways public health can act to address population health. We ask that you keep this in mind when providing input. If recommendations for action – no matter how worthy – are not framed in the context of actions public health can take, they are outside the scope of the Summit.

Deadline for providing input is May 11, 2023.

If you have any questions, please contact CenterOfExcellence@alz.org.

Question Title

* 1. May we contact you if we have questions about your submission?

Yes

Question Title

* 2. If you have indicated permission to be contacted, please provide your name and email.

First and Last Name

Email Address

Question Title

* 3. Based on the current state of the scientific evidence and ripeness for public health action, the Public Health Center of Excellence on Dementia Risk Reduction has identified the following nine modifiable risk factors as priority areas: traumatic brain injury, midlife hypertension, midlife obesity, diabetes, physical activity, smoking, sleep, balanced nutrition, and cognitive engagement. Input provided should be limited to these focus areas.

For each of the following areas of the public health prevention spectrum, what actions could be suggested to public health agencies on how they can work in these areas to address dementia risk factors?

Policy and Legislation (e.g., city ordinances/state regulations):

Organizational Practice (e.g., employee benefits/workplace policies):

Coalitions and Partnerships (e.g., multi-disease coalition; funding collaboratives):

Health Systems and Providers (e.g., medical training; health system practices):

Community Education (e.g., mass media campaigns):

Individual Knowledge and Skill (e.g., community health advisors)

Question Title

* 4. Reducing dementia risk is about more than changing individual behavior or addressing individual health conditions. Several social determinants of health (SDOH) have been identified as possibly increasing risk for dementia, including education (access and quality), racial discrimination, environment (e.g., air pollution), built environments, economic disparities, and food insecurity. In addition, SDOH can act as barriers to addressing the modifiable risk factors for dementia (e.g., SDOH that make it difficult to prevent or successfully control hypertension).

What role do you suggest public health play in addressing SDOH related to dementia?

What suggestions do you have for how public health can address SDOH specifically related to dementia risk and dementia risk factors?

Question Title

* 5. What suggestions do you have in general for increasing the public health community’s engagement in addressing dementia risk reduction?

Question Title

* 6. Is there any other input you would like to provide?

The Public Health Center of Excellence on Dementia Risk Reduction is made possible by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of a financial assistance award totaling $733,487, with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents of this survey and of the Summit are those of the Alzheimer’s Association and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC/HHS or the U.S. Government.