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An Internet-Based Intervention Augmented With a Diet and Physical Activity Consultation to Decrease the Risk of Dementia in At-Risk Adults in a Primary Care Setting: Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial
Anstey KJ, Cherbuin N, Kim S, McMaster M, D'Este C, Lautenschlager N, Rebok G, McRae I et al.. Journal of medical Internet research, 2020-09-24
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Background There is a need to develop interventions to reduce the risk of dementia in the community by addressing lifestyle factors and chronic diseases over the adult life course. Objective This study aims to evaluate a multidomain dementia risk reduction intervention, Body Brain Life in General Practice (BBL-GP), targeting at-risk adults in primary care. Methods A pragmatic, parallel, three-arm randomized trial involving 125 adults aged 18 years or older (86/125, 68.8% female) with a BMI of ≥25 kg/m 2 or a chronic health condition recruited from general practices was conducted. The arms included (1) BBL-GP, a web-based intervention augmented with an in-person diet and physical activity consultation; (2) a single clinician-led group, Lifestyle Modification Program (LMP); and (3) a web-based control. The primary outcome was the Australian National University Alzheimer Disease Risk Index Short Form (ANU-ADRI-SF). Results Baseline assessments were conducted on 128 participants. A total of 125 participants were randomized to 3 groups (BBL-GP=42, LMP=41, and control=42). At immediate, week 18, week 36, and week 62 follow-ups, the completion rates were 43% (18/42), 57% (24/42), 48% (20/42), and 48% (20/42), respectively, for the BBL-GP group; 71% (29/41), 68% (28/41), 68% (28/41), and 51% (21/41), respectively, for the LMP group; and 62% (26/42), 69% (29/42), 60% (25/42), and 60% (25/42), respectively, for the control group. The primary outcome of the ANU-ADRI-SF score was lower for the BBL-GP group than the control group at all follow-ups. These comparisons were all significant at the 5% level for estimates adjusted for baseline differences (immediate: difference in means -3.86, 95% CI -6.81 to -0.90, P=.01; week 18: difference in means -4.05, 95% CI -6.81 to -1.28, P Conclusions A web-based multidomain dementia risk reduction program augmented with allied health consultations administered within the general practice context can reduce dementia risk exposure for at least 15 months. This study was limited by a small sample size, and replication on a larger sample with longer follow-up will strengthen the results. Trial registration Australian clinical trials registration number (ACTRN): 12616000868482; https://anzctr.org.au/ACTRN12616000868482.aspx.
Key findings
- Results Baseline assessments were conducted on 128 participants.
- These comparisons were all significant at the 5% level for estimates adjusted for baseline differences (immediate: difference in means -3.86, 95% CI -6.81 to -0.90, P=.01; week 18: difference in means -4.05, 95% CI -6.81 to -1.28, P<.001; week 36: difference in means -4.99, 95% CI -8.04 to -1.94, P<.001; and week 62: difference in means -4.62, 95% CI -7.62 to -1.62, P<.001).
- This study was limited by a small sample size, and replication on a larger sample with longer follow-up will strengthen the results.
Why it matters
This trial found that a web-based dementia risk reduction program improved scores on a dementia risk index compared with control, though the study had a small sample size and needs replication. It is about reducing risk through lifestyle factors, not treating or curing existing Alzheimer disease.
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Study details
- Study designrandomized controlled trial
- Participants125
- Effect size68.8%
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 68/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a randomised controlled trial.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of medical Internet research) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Journal of Medical Internet Research: journal h-index 286 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 11 / 12 | A randomised controlled trial |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2020 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 125 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 1 / 2 | Randomised (as stated in the record) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 43 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 5.4 citations a year over 8 year(s) since 2020 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 17 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Dimity Pond: h-index 38 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Johns Hopkins University: institution h-index 2,306 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 9 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 32969833) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 68 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
- DOI: 10.2196/19431
- PubMed: 32969833
- Original source →
- Free full text: Journal of Medical Internet Research →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
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APA 7th
Anstey, K. J., Cherbuin, N., Kim, S., McMaster, M., D'Este, C., Lautenschlager, N., et al. (2020). An Internet-Based Intervention Augmented With a Diet and Physical Activity Consultation to Decrease the Risk of Dementia in At-Risk Adults in a Primary Care Setting: Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of medical Internet research. https://doi.org/10.2196/19431
Vancouver
Anstey KJ, Cherbuin N, Kim S, McMaster M, D'Este C, Lautenschlager N, et al. An Internet-Based Intervention Augmented With a Diet and Physical Activity Consultation to Decrease the Risk of Dementia in At-Risk Adults in a Primary Care Setting: Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of medical Internet research. 2020. doi:10.2196/19431. PMID: 32969833.
BibTeX
@article{anstey2020-32969833,
author = {Anstey, K. J. and Cherbuin, N. and Kim, S. and McMaster, M. and D'Este, C. and Lautenschlager, N. and Rebok, G. and McRae, I. and others},
title = {{An Internet-Based Intervention Augmented With a Diet and Physical Activity Consultation to Decrease the Risk of Dementia in At-Risk Adults in a Primary Care Setting: Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial}},
journal = {Journal of medical Internet research},
year = {2020},
doi = {10.2196/19431},
pmid = {32969833},
url = {https://doi.org/10.2196/19431}
}
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