Minoritised ethnic groups and modifiable dementia risk: a scoping review of UK-based evidence

Magda Jordão; Lin Gong; Deirdre Andre; Amirah Akhtar; Emmanuel Nwofe; Rebecca Hawkins; Kate Best; Sahdia Parveen; Karen Windle; Andrew Clegg

doi:10.1136/jech-2024-222654

Minoritised ethnic groups and modifiable dementia risk: a scoping review of UK-based evidence

Magda Jordão
, Lin Gong
, Deirdre Andre
, Amirah Akhtar
, Emmanuel Nwofe
, Rebecca Hawkins
, Kate Best
, Sahdia Parveen
, Karen Windle
, Andrew Clegg

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

Background
People from minoritised ethnic groups are more likely to be impacted by dementia. In the general population, dementia may be prevented or delayed by up to 40% by reducing risk in 12 modifiable risk factors (MRF). However, minoritised ethnic groups are not systematically included.
Objectives We conducted a scoping review following Joanna Briggs Institute guidance to map: (1) which minoritised ethnic groups have been included in UK research on dementia MRF, (2) for which MRF and (3) using which research methods.
Eligibility criteria
Eligible studies analysed one or more of the 12 MRFs among minoritised ethnic groups.
Evidence sources Medline, Embase Classic+Embase, PsycInfo, Web of Science, CINAHL and grey literature were searched.
Charting methods Patient and public involvement with minoritised ethnic groups and professionals informed the data extraction tool. We use frequencies and graphs in data description.
Results We screened 7748 records, assessed 122 full text records and included 14 studies, which mostly used broad ethnic groups. Hypertension, diabetes and depression were studied as predictors of dementia in 10, eight and six studies, respectively, compared with low social contact and air pollution in just two each. Measures of MRF lacked consistency, and data per ethnic group were not reported in several studies. Research examining interactions in combinations of MRFs was lacking.
Conclusions More research is needed with specific ethnic groups, consistent measures and focusing on discrimination and MRF interaction and severity. This will be key to personalised risk reduction with diverse communities.

Original language	English
Article number	jech-2024-222654
Pages (from-to)	670-677
Number of pages	8
Journal	Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
Volume	79
Issue number	9
Early online date	17 Apr 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2024-222654
Publication status	Published (in print/issue) - 30 Sept 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2025. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ Group.

Data Availability Statement

Data sharing not applicable as no datasets generated and/or analysed for this study.

Funding

MJ, LG, AA and EN declare funding from the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Yorkshire and Humber and the Alzheimer\u2019s Society through a Post-Doctoral Fellowship. MJ also declares funding from the Research Design Service of Yorkshire and Humber to develop patient and public involvement activities. MJ is a non-paid member of the Project Oversight Group for the project \u2018Public Involvement and Engagement for people living with Dementia\u2019 funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. DA declares support through the University of Leeds Library as part of a paid Service Level Agreement for literature searching between the University of Leeds and Academic Unit for Ageing and Stroke Research, Bradford Royal Infirmary. RH declares grant funding from the NIHR and participation on a Trial Steering Committee for NIHR trial. SP declares grants from the NIHR, Health Education England and Alzheimer's Society; payment for external PhD viva examinations at Queen's Mary University London, University of Salford and University of Liverpool; and participation in the NIHR project advisory board. SP is a member of the Alzheimer's Disease International Board and Alzheimer's Society Grants Board. KW declares grants from NIHR Cross Programme, Cambridge Vision Technology (subcontractor to deliver a small focused research project), St Helena Hospice (funded PhD), Department of Transport, Evaluating the Active Travel Social Prescribing Feasibility Study (won the contract, but this is now being taken forward by another PI) and Equality and Human Rights Commission (subcontractor). KW also declares payment for external PhD examinations at the University of Central Lancashire and the University of York, and support for attending an NIHR Project Oversight Group (Curiosity Partnership: University of York). AC declares grants from NIHR, Dunhill Medical Trust and UK Research and Innovation; consulting fees from Geras Centre for Aging Research (2023 Centre Review); payment by Alberta Health Services (Gerald Zetter Lecture 2020); support for attending meetings and/or travelling from the Australia and New Zealand Society of Geriatric Medicine; and participation on Trial Steering Committee and Data Monitoring and Ethics Committee for NIHR trials. AC led the development and UK implementation of the Electronic Frailty Index (eFI), which is licensed to suppliers of electronic health record systems at no cost, on the basis that a premium charge is not applied to the end NHS user, and is a chair of global Ageing Research Trialists collaborative and a member of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Falls Prevention Guideline Development Group. MJ, LG, AA and EN are funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration Yorkshire and Humber (NIHR ARC YH) and the Alzheimer\u2019s Society Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships (funding award number: NIHR200166). MJ also declares funding from the Research Design Service of Yorkshire and Humber to develop patient and public involvement activities. AC is funded through an NIHR Research Professorship Award and supported by NIHR ARC YH, the NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre and Health Data Research UK, an initiative funded by the UK Research and Innovation Councils, NIHR and the UK devolved administrations and leading medical research charities.

Funders	Funder number
Equality and Human Rights Commission
Alzheimer's Society	NIHR200166

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Keywords

Humans
Dementia/ethnology
Risk Factors
Ethnicity/statistics & numerical data
United Kingdom/epidemiology
PUBLIC HEALTH
DEMENTIA
Health inequalities
PREVENTION
ETHNIC GROUPS

Access to Document

10.1136/jech-2024-222654Licence: CC BY

jech-2024-222654.fullFinal published version, 1.5 MBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

@article{195fa01a795447a3b16e752e4f00ef6e,

title = "Minoritised ethnic groups and modifiable dementia risk: a scoping review of UK-based evidence",

abstract = "Background People from minoritised ethnic groups are more likely to be impacted by dementia. In the general population, dementia may be prevented or delayed by up to 40\% by reducing risk in 12 modifiable risk factors (MRF). However, minoritised ethnic groups are not systematically included. Objectives We conducted a scoping review following Joanna Briggs Institute guidance to map: (1) which minoritised ethnic groups have been included in UK research on dementia MRF, (2) for which MRF and (3) using which research methods. Eligibility criteria Eligible studies analysed one or more of the 12 MRFs among minoritised ethnic groups. Evidence sources Medline, Embase Classic+Embase, PsycInfo, Web of Science, CINAHL and grey literature were searched. Charting methods Patient and public involvement with minoritised ethnic groups and professionals informed the data extraction tool. We use frequencies and graphs in data description. Results We screened 7748 records, assessed 122 full text records and included 14 studies, which mostly used broad ethnic groups. Hypertension, diabetes and depression were studied as predictors of dementia in 10, eight and six studies, respectively, compared with low social contact and air pollution in just two each. Measures of MRF lacked consistency, and data per ethnic group were not reported in several studies. Research examining interactions in combinations of MRFs was lacking. Conclusions More research is needed with specific ethnic groups, consistent measures and focusing on discrimination and MRF interaction and severity. This will be key to personalised risk reduction with diverse communities.",

keywords = "Humans, Dementia/ethnology, Risk Factors, Ethnicity/statistics \& numerical data, United Kingdom/epidemiology, PUBLIC HEALTH, DEMENTIA, Health inequalities, PREVENTION, ETHNIC GROUPS",

author = "Magda Jord{\~a}o and Lin Gong and Deirdre Andre and Amirah Akhtar and Emmanuel Nwofe and Rebecca Hawkins and Kate Best and Sahdia Parveen and Karen Windle and Andrew Clegg",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2025. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ Group.",

year = "2025",

month = sep,

day = "30",

doi = "10.1136/jech-2024-222654",

language = "English",

volume = "79",

pages = "670--677",

journal = "Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health",

issn = "0143-005X",

publisher = "BMJ Publishing Group",

number = "9",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Minoritised ethnic groups and modifiable dementia risk

T2 - a scoping review of UK-based evidence

AU - Jordão, Magda

AU - Gong, Lin

AU - Andre, Deirdre

AU - Akhtar, Amirah

AU - Nwofe, Emmanuel

AU - Hawkins, Rebecca

AU - Best, Kate

AU - Parveen, Sahdia

AU - Windle, Karen

AU - Clegg, Andrew

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2025. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ Group.

PY - 2025/9/30

Y1 - 2025/9/30

N2 - Background People from minoritised ethnic groups are more likely to be impacted by dementia. In the general population, dementia may be prevented or delayed by up to 40% by reducing risk in 12 modifiable risk factors (MRF). However, minoritised ethnic groups are not systematically included. Objectives We conducted a scoping review following Joanna Briggs Institute guidance to map: (1) which minoritised ethnic groups have been included in UK research on dementia MRF, (2) for which MRF and (3) using which research methods. Eligibility criteria Eligible studies analysed one or more of the 12 MRFs among minoritised ethnic groups. Evidence sources Medline, Embase Classic+Embase, PsycInfo, Web of Science, CINAHL and grey literature were searched. Charting methods Patient and public involvement with minoritised ethnic groups and professionals informed the data extraction tool. We use frequencies and graphs in data description. Results We screened 7748 records, assessed 122 full text records and included 14 studies, which mostly used broad ethnic groups. Hypertension, diabetes and depression were studied as predictors of dementia in 10, eight and six studies, respectively, compared with low social contact and air pollution in just two each. Measures of MRF lacked consistency, and data per ethnic group were not reported in several studies. Research examining interactions in combinations of MRFs was lacking. Conclusions More research is needed with specific ethnic groups, consistent measures and focusing on discrimination and MRF interaction and severity. This will be key to personalised risk reduction with diverse communities.

AB - Background People from minoritised ethnic groups are more likely to be impacted by dementia. In the general population, dementia may be prevented or delayed by up to 40% by reducing risk in 12 modifiable risk factors (MRF). However, minoritised ethnic groups are not systematically included. Objectives We conducted a scoping review following Joanna Briggs Institute guidance to map: (1) which minoritised ethnic groups have been included in UK research on dementia MRF, (2) for which MRF and (3) using which research methods. Eligibility criteria Eligible studies analysed one or more of the 12 MRFs among minoritised ethnic groups. Evidence sources Medline, Embase Classic+Embase, PsycInfo, Web of Science, CINAHL and grey literature were searched. Charting methods Patient and public involvement with minoritised ethnic groups and professionals informed the data extraction tool. We use frequencies and graphs in data description. Results We screened 7748 records, assessed 122 full text records and included 14 studies, which mostly used broad ethnic groups. Hypertension, diabetes and depression were studied as predictors of dementia in 10, eight and six studies, respectively, compared with low social contact and air pollution in just two each. Measures of MRF lacked consistency, and data per ethnic group were not reported in several studies. Research examining interactions in combinations of MRFs was lacking. Conclusions More research is needed with specific ethnic groups, consistent measures and focusing on discrimination and MRF interaction and severity. This will be key to personalised risk reduction with diverse communities.

KW - Humans

KW - Dementia/ethnology

KW - Risk Factors

KW - Ethnicity/statistics & numerical data

KW - United Kingdom/epidemiology

KW - PUBLIC HEALTH

KW - DEMENTIA

KW - Health inequalities

KW - PREVENTION

KW - ETHNIC GROUPS

UR - https://pure.ulster.ac.uk/en/publications/195fa01a-7954-47a3-b16e-752e4f00ef6e

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105003214316

U2 - 10.1136/jech-2024-222654

DO - 10.1136/jech-2024-222654

M3 - Article

C2 - 40246321

SN - 0143-005X

VL - 79

SP - 670

EP - 677

JO - Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health

JF - Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health

IS - 9

M1 - jech-2024-222654

ER -

Minoritised ethnic groups and modifiable dementia risk: a scoping review of UK-based evidence

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Data Availability Statement

Funding

UN SDGs

Keywords

Access to Document

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Cite this