| Title: | Neighbourhood residential density, urbanicity and incident dementia and Alzheimer's disease: A 12-year prospective cohort study from the UK Biobank |
| Journal: | Environmental Research |
| Published: | 7 Mar 2023 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36894118/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2023.115627 |
Publication 11179
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION: An increasing proportion of global population is exposed to urban densification in an aging society. However, little is known of the role of residential density and urbanicity on the risk of developing dementia including Alzheimer's disease. We examined long-term associations between residential density and urbanicity and risks of incident dementia and Alzheimer's disease.</p>
METHODS: This prospective cohort study included participants from the UK Biobank who lived at the same residential address, had no self-reported neurological conditions and without dementia at baseline. Residential density was measured as the number of dwelling units within 1-km street neighbourhood of participant's home address. A composite index of urbanicity was developed from neighbourhood-level z-standardized densities of housing, retail, public transport and street centrality. Hazard ratios were derived from Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for known risk factors.</p>
RESULTS: The analytic sample included 239,629 participants aged 38-72 years. During a median follow-up of 12.3 years (interquartile range 11.5-13.0 years), 2,176 participants developed dementia and 1,004 Alzheimer's disease. After adjustments for potential risk factors, each 1,000 units/Km2 increment in residential density was associated with higher risks of dementia (hazard ratio [HR]=1.10, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.06-1.15) and Alzheimer's disease (HR=1.10, 95% CI: 1.04-1.16). Consistently, categorical models showed that living in neighbourhoods of higher residential density and urbanicity were associated with higher risks of dementia (HR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.12-1.51 for the highest density quintile compared to the lowest and HR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.05-1.39 for the highest urbanicity quintile relative to the lowest). The associations were more pronounced in female, age >65 years, and among participants of the low income and those being frail and having shorter leucocyte telomere length (LTL).</p>
CONCLUSIONS: Higher residential density and urbanicity was found to be positively associated with elevated risks of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Optimizing neighbourhood residential density maybe one of the upstream considerations for mitigating against neurodegenerative diseases.</p>
5 Authors
- Ka Yan Lai
- Sarika Kumari
- Chris Webster
- John E J Gallacher
- Chinmoy Sarkar
2 Applications
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 11730 | The UK Biobank Urban Morphometric Platform -Deciphering associations of built environment morphometrics with individual health and lifestyle |
| 44469 | Deciphering the impact of built and atmospheric environment on mental and cognitive health, dementia and mortality outcomes utilising the UKBUMP database: a DPUK supported study |
Enabling scientific discoveries that improve human health