Risk reduction of cognitive decline and dementia: WHO guidelines, second edition

Overview

This publication provides updated evidence-based recommendations on interventions to reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. 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.

The second edition reflects the considerable growth of the evidence base since the publication of 2019 guidelines and expands the scope of guidance on dementia risk reduction. Alongside recommendations to promote healthy behaviours and manage health conditions associated with increased dementia risk, it introduces recommendations on reducing the exposure to environmental risk factors and implementing tailored multidomain interventions. The guidelines 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.