The 45 and Up Study has new survey data on Australians living with cognitive decline, which provide insights into their wellbeing and overall health and open up valuable research opportunities.
Australians living with cognitive decline – either dementia, Alzheimer’s or mild cognitive impairment – are twice as likely to report high levels of psychological distress, and almost twice as likely to report lower levels of quality of life, compared with those who aren’t living with cognitive decline.
These insights come from initial responses to the 45 and Up Study’s Wave 4 survey, which is the fourth major survey of participants since the Study commenced in 2005.
Sax Institute CEO and Chief Investigator of the 45 and Up Study Dr Martin McNamara says that the data will help form an important evidence platform to guide policy and services in coming years.
“The 45 and Up Study has 20 years of data on a quarter of a million Australians, and now there are rich insights emerging on their cognitive health,” he says. “Considering that by 2050 there will be more than a million Australians living with dementia, this accumulation of information in the Study will be really valuable to researchers and decision makers,” he says.
Major surveys of the 45 and Up Study, undertaken each year, include more than 100 questions on participants’ health and lifestyle, including physical activity, diet, mental health and emotional wellbeing.
17,200 older Australians have completed the Wave 4 survey so far. Tens of thousands more survey responses from Wave 4 will be released as the survey data are collected.
What Australians have told us about cognitive decline
The Wave 4 survey asked participants for the first time about being diagnosed with dementia, Alzheimer’s or mild cognitive impairment. 1034 participants, or 6% of those surveyed, reported a diagnosis of one or more of these conditions.
For people reporting cognitive decline, they were more likely to also report poorer emotional and physical health.
13% of 45 and Up Study participants living with cognitive decline reported high psychological distress, compared to 6% of people without cognitive decline.
27% of those with cognitive decline reported lower levels of overall health, compared to 17% of those without cognitive decline.
People with cognitive decline also more likely to report poor-quality sleep, as well as lower levels of social interaction, compared to those without cognitive decline.
The survey data also covers health characteristics of people with cognitive decline. For example, 85% of those with cognitive decline reported that they have at some point been a regular smoker. That’s compared with the 45% of people without cognitive decline who had been smokers at some point.
“This data will enable researchers to explore associations between risk factors and cognitive decline in more detail,” Dr McNamara says. “Considering that we have decades of survey responses and access to linked data on participants’ healthcare, there is significant research potential.”
The 45 and Up Study is Australia’s largest ongoing study on health and ageing, with more than a quarter of a million participants initially recruited. Survey responses are routinely linked to several datasets including the Medicare Claims Data (MCD), Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and hospital administrative data to provide a comprehensive picture of the health service use of participants.
The Wave 4 survey has a special focus on transitions to aged care, as well as on the impacts of disability and cognitive decline. Researchers and policymakers are invited to partner with the 45 and Up Study to establish new data platforms to improve understanding of these issues, says Dr McNamara.
“Given the importance of these topics in Australia, we want to establish long-term collaborations with researchers to strengthen the evidence base and inform changes to policy and practice.”
The 45 and Up Study has supported many research projects into dementia in recent years, including the Maintain Your Brain trial and the ADAPTOR project.
Learn more about the Wave 4 survey here.
To find out more about working with the 45 and Up Study, contact Dr Greer Dawson, Deputy Director of Research and Partnerships, at 45andUp.Research@saxinstitute.org.au