Time availability can impact the development of dementia perhaps as much as diet and exercise, according to a panel of scientists. The group says its research should cause a paradigm shift in the diagnosis and treatment of the condition.
To reach their conclusion, the researchers examined information about dementia that’s been reported in the fields of epidemiology and neurology, as well as that from time-use studies. What they found is that those who experience a lack of time to devote to self care – a condition known as “time poverty” – are more likely to develop dementia than those who have sufficient time in their days to look after themselves.
“Our evidence suggests that at least 10 hours per day are required just for essential brain health activities such as sleep, meals, physical activity, and social interaction,” says study co-author Simone Reppermund. “For many, especially those in disadvantaged or caregiving roles, this simply isn’t achievable under current conditions. Addressing time poverty is therefore essential if we are serious about preventing dementia.”
In the study, which has been published in the journal The Lancet Healthy Longevity, the team reports that the elimination of dementia risk factors could lessen the risk of getting the disease by as much as 45%. These risk factors were first identified by the Lancet Commission in 2024 and include less education in early life; hypertension; diabetes, high cholesterol; physical inactivity; social interaction, and eight other variables. An underlying theme tying many of them together, says the panel, is time.
In order to avoid developing high cholesterol and diabetes, for example, people need the time to shop for and prepare healthy food. In order to avoid physical inactivity, they need time to exercise. And in order to have sufficient social interactions, they need time to gather with family and friends.
The researchers say their findings now need to be incorporated into the way in which the healthcare industry studies and treats dementia. It’s not sufficient, they say, to simply tell people to eat healthy and exercise to stave off dementia if they simply don’t have the time to do either.
“By focusing primarily on behavioral change and personal choice, these interventions risk overlooking the real-life conditions that constrain people’s capacity to engage in health-promoting activities, thus excluding population groups for whom constraints are large,” write the researchers. “These constraints can encompass socioeconomic disadvantages, caregiving responsibilities, unstable housing or employment conditions, and health illiteracy.”
Digital overload was also identified as a strain that can contribute to time poverty.
The panel is now calling for reforms in the workplace and to healthcare policy overall to support what they call “temporal justice” – a way to measure and redistribute time for more equality. Such efforts, they say, could include investments in public transport that could shorten commutes; more flexible work arrangements; right-to-disconnect policies; and affordable childcare.
“Brain health policy and research have focused heavily on individual behavior change,” concludes co-author Perminder Sachdev. “But unless people are given the temporal resources to act on these recommendations, we risk leaving behind those who need it most. Just as governments act on income inequality, we need to act on temporal inequity.”
Source: University of New South Wales
