While research has revealed that more women are affected by dementia as compared to men, a new study has linked gender inequality to it, citing economic and social disadvantages.
So far, the economic and social implications of gender inequality have been discussed. The latest study shines a light on how it can impact health.
The study is a meta-analysis of 21 international studies involving 29,850 people from 18 countries.
Published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Association, the study assessed participants comprising 58% women. None had dementia, and 2,089 had been diagnosed with it during follow-up. The period between study onset and follow-up was between 0.01 and 19.6 years, depending on the patients and the studies they were part of.
The researchers found that women, particularly in low and middle-income countries, do not have the same access as men to factors that help protect against dementia, such as higher levels of education and mentally-stimulating work.
The study also considers the findings of an earlier report that said 40% of the risk of dementia can be linked to 12 controllable risk factors common in low and middle-income countries.
The findings ‘suggest all-cause dementia risk was higher in women than men, with possible variations by country-level income settings and geographical regions, but there was no evidence of sex differences in most risk factors, with the exceptions of longer education and former alcohol use and dementia, which showed a stronger association with dementia risk for men than women.’
