Social determinants of dementia: A cross-country investigation between UK and Japan
Award Number
ES/S013830/1Programme
Research GrantStatus / Stage
CompletedDates
1 January 2019 -31 December 2020
Duration (calculated)
01 years 11 monthsFunder(s)
ESRC (UKRI)Funding Amount
£32,494.00Funder/Grant study page
ESRCContracted Centre
University College LondonContracted Centre Webpage
Principal Investigator
Dorina CadarPI Contact
d.cadar@ucl.ac.ukPI ORCID
0000-0003-1398-5841WHO Catergories
High quality epidemiological dataUnderstanding risk factors
Disease Type
Dementia (Unspecified)CPEC Review Info
| Reference ID | 437 |
|---|---|
| Researcher | Reside Team |
| Published | 29/06/2023 |
Data
| Award Number | ES/S013830/1 |
|---|---|
| Status / Stage | Completed |
| Start Date | 20190101 |
| End Date | 20201231 |
| Duration (calculated) | 01 years 11 months |
| Funder/Grant study page | ESRC |
| Contracted Centre | University College London |
| Contracted Centre Webpage | |
| Funding Amount | £32,494.00 |
Abstract
Dementia is one of the major contributors to disability and dependency amongst the elderly population, and a significant public health issue for government and policymakers throughout the world. Recent evidence suggests that in the UK, people with dementia are at increased mortality risk compared with similarly aged people without dementia, overtaking cardiovascular disease. Even though the prevalence of dementia in the UK is rising due to higher numbers of people surviving into older ages, recent evidence suggests that the UK is experiencing a decline in dementia incidence. By contrast, Japan has witnessed a different trend, with increases in both incidence and prevalence. This difference could be related to diagnostic practice within each country, which needs to be further explored or to the cultural variability in the risk and protective factors driving these emerging forecasts that remain fundamentally different between the UK and Japan.
Research in this field has been dominated by clinical studies of dementia mostly conducted in the UK and US, and the current evidence base lacks reliable national data on incidence and prevalence of dementia that are vital for service planning, the prediction of future needs, estimating the costs of dementia care. Examining the influence of social factors on mental health is one of the ESRC’s core strategic priorities.
Moreover, addressing socioeconomic inequalities and social determinants of health is a major focus for policy, so it is crucial to understand how these factors affect dementia incidence globally, and more specifically in geographical regions where the incidence trends seem to be diverging (e.g. the UK and Japan).
The overall aim is to create a collaborative network between investigators from three longitudinal studies of ageing: the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) in the UK, the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study (JACC study) and Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study of Aging (JAGES), which are ideally placed for conducting cross-cohort comparisons using harmonised longitudinal analyses and address the following research questions:
1. What are the social determinants of dementia in England and Japan?
2. What are the exploratory mechanisms of the divergent trends in dementia incidence observed in England and Japan?
3. What are the critical differences between the social determinants of dementia in England and Japan?
The specific objectives of this project are to lay the groundwork for future larger-scale cross-country investigations, which are essential and timely given that Japan experiences a fundamentally opposite trend in dementia incidence compared to the UK. We plan to organise a number of network events in London and Osaka, comprising of an international seminar, data harmonisation and policy workshops and offer the opportunity for the two Early Career Researchers to broaden their research horizons and exchange their work experience in renowned international teams. They will visit London and Osaka to gain in-depth insight into other data cohorts, and have opportunities to learn new cross-cohort analytical techniques, contributing to the establishment of a UK-Japan collaborative partnership in dementia. We anticipate that findings from this study will help policymakers and practitioners develop policies and interventions that can help improve health on older population and reduce dementia risk, especially in the most vulnerable groups.
Aims
The overall aim is to create a collaborative network between investigators from three longitudinal studies of ageing: the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) in the UK, the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study (JACC study) and Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study of Aging (JAGES), which are ideally placed for conducting cross-cohort comparisons using harmonised longitudinal analyses and address the following research questions:
1. What are the social determinants of dementia in England and Japan?
2. What are the exploratory mechanisms of the divergent trends in dementia incidence observed in England and Japan?
3. What are the critical differences between the social determinants of dementia in England and Japan?
The specific objectives of this project are to lay the groundwork for future larger-scale cross-country investigations, which are essential and timely given that Japan experiences a fundamentally opposite trend in dementia incidence compared to the UK.