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BEDREHELSE-Bedre helse og livskvalitet

LOGGING ON FOR BETTER HEALTH - IDENTIFYING RISK FACTORS AND INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTS OF INTERNET BASED PREVENTIVE INTERVENTIONS FOR DEMENT

Awarded: NOK 73,613

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia are projected to increase dramatically in Europe. More than 50% of subjects with MCI will become demented within 5 years, placing large demands on treatment/care facilities. The first aim is to assess the signi ficance of suspected risk factors for MCI and dementia in a young (50-55 y) and an old (70-75 y) cohort, respectively. For the young sample MCI status will be assessed by online testing; dementia status for the older cohort will be verified through health registries. Predictors will be self-reports (demography, work, sleep, nutrition, physical activity, alcohol/smoking, affective status and loneliness/isolation) as well as prospective data from health registries (e.g. sick leave, prescription of drugs, ca rdiovascular disease, and hospital-based diagnoses). Testing of the Apo-E gene will be done, as the ?4 allele is a risk factor for cognitive decline. Identified risk factors and their interaction will then be validated in animal models. The second aim ent ails investigating preventive measures against MCI by adapting preventive programs to an internet-based platform. The interventions (and control condition) will be administered to the young sample emphasising modifiable factors (physical and cognitive ina ctivity, poor nutrition, depression/anxiety, poor sleep, alcohol/nicotine misuse, and social isolation and loneliness). After 3 years testing for MCI will be re-administered, evaluating the outcome of the preventive measures. The effects of the interventi ons will be validated in an animal model. The third aim is to integrate the findings derived from all the aforementioned studies and to provide new knowledge on the most significant risk factors (and their interaction) for MCI and dementia, and to recomme nd preventive measures against MCI and dementia. The recommendations will be linked to the easily transferable and readily available internet based programs, which can implemented fast and with small resources.

Funding scheme:

BEDREHELSE-Bedre helse og livskvalitet