The guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations to reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia through a public health approach. 

The first edition of the guideline was launched in 2019 and included twelve modifiable factors – physical activity, smoking, nutrition, alcohol use disorders, cognitive activity, social activity, overweight/obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidaemia, depression, and hearing loss. 

The Guidelines on Risk Reduction of Cognitive Decline and Dementia (Second Edition) includes multidomain interventions supporting healthy lifestyles and optimal management of cardiometabolic disorders as effective strategies to reduce the risk of dementia in older age. 

Dementia is a chronic disorder and one of the leading causes of disability and dependency among older people. Up to 45% of dementia cases worldwide are now associated with modifiable risk factors, which means they could potentially be prevented or delayed.  

With no widely available cure, proactive management of risk factors across the life course remains the most effective strategy to reduce the incidence of cognitive decline and dementia. 

The updated Guidelines integrate new evidence, which has become available for most of the above listed risk factors 

The guidelines are designed to help health-care providers, policy-makers and other stakeholders strengthen action on dementia risk reduction as an essential public health strategy, especially given the absence of widely available curative treatment and also identify areas where evidence remains insufficient and further research is needed, while supporting countries to integrate dementia risk reduction into policies, services and programmes. 

Download the guidelines: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240123557 

Watch: 

Once you have watched the webinar and the video you can complete a short: Feedback survey to provide feedback on the guidelines and help inform implementation and training efforts.