Clusters of Dementia Literacy: Implications from a Survey of Older Adults.

Clinicians and scientists suggest that up to 40% of dementia cases are potentially preventable. Data on awareness of dementia risk and protective factor among older adults can inform and facilitate designing educational interventions to prevent dementia. We aimed to quantify awareness of dementia risk and protective factors using a telephone survey. The modified Lifestyle for Brain Health scale was used to assess dementia risk and prevention knowledge. A representative sample of 1,005 older adults, mean age 64.02 (standard deviation + 1.4; range: 50-74 years) completed the survey (77% response rate). Under representation of non-European ethnicities was noted. Participants Respondents were all New Zealanders, more women (n=518, 51.5%), mostly European (n=921, 91.6%) and well educated (n=347, 34.5%, university or post-graduate degree). Only 6/14 modifiable risk or protective factors for dementia were adequately identified. Three clusters of dementia literacy were identified: psychosocial, medical and activities. These findings support personalizing dementia prevention efforts via targeted educational packages.

Systematic review of cognitive development across childhood in Down syndrome: implications for treatment interventions.

BACKGROUND: There is conjecture regarding the profile of cognitive development over time in children with Down syndrome (DS). Characterising this profile would be valuable for the planning and assessment of intervention studies. METHOD: A systematic search of the literature from 1990 to the present was conducted to identify longitudinal data on cognitive trajectories in children with DS. RESULTS: Thirteen studies were identified: six assessed overall cognitive performance and seven assessed specific cognitive domains. Studies assessing IQ reported a decline across time. Studies assessing change in cognitive domains were, for the most part, not interpretable because of large age ranges in samples obscuring age-specific data. CONCLUSION: The current literature has only begun to describe typical cognitive developmental trajectories in children with DS; additional research is needed to clarify this topic.