Expanding the Lens on Dementia Risk: A Gender-Inclusive Call to Action
27 September, 2025
A new article published in The Lancet eBioMedicine builds on the 2024 Lancet Commission Report by proposing a more inclusive global framework for dementia prevention. While the Commission identified 14 modifiable risk factors accounting for 45% of global dementia cases, this new analysis highlights four additional socioeconomic and health-related risks—poverty, wealth shocks, income inequality, and HIV infection—that disproportionately affect women and underserved populations.
The authors argue that integrating these factors could raise the proportion of preventable dementia cases to 65%, while also correcting gender imbalances in current models. Notably, although women bear the majority of dementia burden globally, 57% of the Commission’s identified risk factors are more prevalent in men. By recalibrating the risk profile, the expanded model reveals that 56% of modifiable risks disproportionately impact women.
This research underscores the urgent need for gender-sensitive, culturally adaptive strategies—especially in low- and middle-income countries—where dementia prevalence is projected to surge.
The Women’s Brain Foundation supports this call for equity-driven prevention, advocating for policies that address the social determinants of brain health and empower women across the lifespan.
