The Wrong Neighborhood Can Increase Dementia Risk, Study Finds

There goes the neighborhood. Dementia rates are on the incline, and with projections expected to hit 78 million globally by 2030, researchers are tirelessly exploring factors that may influence risk, one of which may be the neighborhood you inhabit.

Neighborhoods and Cognitive Health

Where you live can have a huge impact on your health. This article examines a recent study that suggests how your neighborhood may influence your risk of developing dementia.

To better understand how more vulnerable neighborhoods may influence cognitive health, a group of researchers used the data of 6781 people with an average age of 72 where 66% of them were Black participants and the rest were white participants. The researchers looked at U.S. Census tracts, a small area within a county, of four neighborhoods in Chicago based on the amount of disadvantage.The researchers determined the neighborhood status by factors such as income, employment, education, and disability.

The researchers also provided tests of thinking and memory skills at the start of the study and every three years for at least six years of follow-up.

Disadvantaged Neighborhoods Increase Dementia Risk

“Our findings show that the community in which you live influences your risk of developing dementia…Prioritizing disadvantaged communities may be an effective way to mobilize resources for older adults and provide avenues for reducing the risk of dementia for the overall community.” – Pankaja Desai, PhD, study author

Per the findings, published in Neurology, the end of the six-year study saw that 22% of the participants in the tracts with the highest amount of disadvantage had developed Alzheimer’s. The percentile decreased alongside the rate of disadvantage, with 17% in the tracts with second-highest amount of disadvantage, 14% in the tracts with the next-to-lowest disadvantage, and then 11% in the areas with the least disadvantage.

The researchers also noted that test scores for thinking and memory skills of those living in the tracts with the highest disadvantages declined around 25% faster than those of people living in the tracts with the lowest disadvantages.

How Does a Neighborhood Affect Longevity?

Because the study focused on neighborhoods in Chicago, the findings may not apply everywhere. Also, the study only shows a link between disadvantaged neighborhoods and dementia, thus this doesn’t prove that one causes the other.

That said, this is not the first study to investigate how the area you live in may influence your health. For instance, one study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes found an association between neighborhood disadvantage and an increased risk of heart failure.

In a 2018 study, published in AMIA Annual Symposium Proceedings, researchers revealed that diabetes prevalence was lowest in the least disadvantaged quintile of neighborhoods. A separate study revealed that those living in disadvantaged neighborhoods have higher death rates from numerous cancers, including breast, prostate, lung, and colorectal.

Creating A Healthier Neighborhood

Not everyone will be offered the privilege to relocate to a safer and healthier neighborhood, so the best course of action would be to improve neighborhood health. This can be done by communities working alongside government officials to ensure easier access to healthcare services, promoting health literacy, and implementing community-based programs. These programs can encourage physical activity, healthy eating, regular check-ups, and access to green spaces and clean air and water.

Want to know more?

In 2004, Dan Buettner revealed five areas across the world where inhabitants were virtually free of the disease, and many even lived to age 100 and beyond. Taking to his social media, Buettner revealed that in cities with the highest healthspan, up to 50% of all trips are taken on foot or bike. So, could creating bike-friendly cities be the key to longevity?

References

Danos, D. M., Ferguson, T. F., Simonsen, N. R., Leonardi, C., et al. (2018). Neighborhood disadvantage and racial disparities in colorectal cancer incidence: A population-based study in Louisiana. Annals of Epidemiology, 28(5), 316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2018.02.004

Desai, P., Bond, J., Dhana, A., Ng, T.K.S., et al. (2025). The Social Vulnerability Index and Incidence of Alzheimer Disease in a Population-Based Sample of Older Adults. Neurology, 104(8). doi:https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000213464.

Erhunmwunsee, L., Wing, S. E., Zou, X., Coogan, P., et al. (2022). Neighborhood disadvantage and lung cancer risk in a national cohort of never smoking Black women. Lung Cancer, 173, 21-27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lungcan.2022.08.022

Goel, N., Hernandez, A., Kwon, D., Antoni, M. H., & Cole, S. (2024). Impact of Neighborhood Disadvantage on Tumor Biology and Breast Cancer Survival. Annals of surgery, 279(2), 346–352. https://doi.org/10.1097/SLA.0000000000006082

Pichardo, C.M., Adaora Ezeani, Acevedo, A.M., Agurs-Collins, T., Maeve Bailey-Whyte, et al. (2024). West African Genetic Ancestry, Neighborhood Deprivation, and Prostate Cancer. JAMA Network Open, 7(9), pp.e2433546–e2433546. doi:https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.33546.

Sheets, L., Petroski, G. F., Jaddoo, J., Barnett, Y., et al. (2018). The Effect of Neighborhood Disadvantage on Diabetes Prevalence. AMIA Annual Symposium Proceedings, 2017, 1547. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5977699/

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