Upward social mobility might help prevent dementia. Dementia, characterized by memory loss and cognitive decline, imposes significant strain on healthcare systems and profoundly impacts patients and their families. While previous research has linked socioeconomic status (SES) factors like parental assets, education level, income, and employment status to dementia risk, the influence of social mobility throughout a person’s life remains unclear due to a lack of scientific evidence. ()

The new study, led by Osaka University researchers and published in JAMA Network Open, provides data-backed evidence that upward social mobility is associated with a lower dementia risk. Specifically, a downward SES transition was associated with the highest loss of healthy longevity from age 75 onward in their lifetime. Yet, an upward transition was linked with the longest period of healthy longevity. Interestingly, these result from upward are more favorable than those with stable high SES since childhood.

Key to Slowing Dementia Revealed

“Our finding that upward social mobility throughout a person’s life correlates with a prolonged period of dementia-free aging means that improving socioeconomic conditions could be a key to dementia prevention and healthier longevity,” the study’s lead author Ryoto Sakaniwa says.

The researchers used data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, which followed 9,186 participants aged 65 and over from 2010 to 2016. The study employed unsupervised clustering analysis and data-driven classification to analyze changes in participants’ SES throughout their lives. The analysis identified six distinct SES transition patterns. The researchers used a national registry of long-term nursing care services to determine dementia incidence, which enabled a detailed examination of the relationship between these transitions and dementia risk.

The analysis found that upward SES transitions were associated with a notably lower risk of dementia incidence compared with stable SES patterns. Conversely, downward SES transitions had a significantly increased risk.

The study also explored the mediating effects of lifestyle behaviors, comorbidities, and social factors on the association of SES transitions and dementia risk. These factors were found to play significant roles in mediating that risk, particularly physical characteristics and lifestyle behaviors in upward transitions and social factors in downward transitions.

“Future research should delve deeper into the mechanisms by which SES influences cognitive health, including potential interventions for mitigating dementia risk,” senior author Hiroyasu Iso says.” Understanding the nuances of how SES and its transitions impact dementia is vital for developing targeted strategies addressing underlying socioeconomic factors throughout one’s life.

So, it seems that climbing the social ladder can indeed lead to healthier, dementia-free lives.

Reference:

1. Socioeconomic status transition throughout the life course and the risk of dementia – (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2818866)

Source-Eurekalert