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Designing prevention programmes to reduce incidence of dementia: prospective cohort study of modifiable risk factors
Ritchie K, Carrière I, Ritchie CW, Berr C, Artero S, Ancelin ML.. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2010-08-05
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Objective To estimate the percentage reduction in incidence of dementia that would be obtained if specific risk factors were eliminated. Design Prospective seven year cohort study. Setting General population, Montpellier, France. Participants 1433 people aged over 65 with a mean baseline age of 72.5 (SD 5.1) years. Main outcome measures Diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment or dementia established by a standardised neurological examination. Results Cox models were constructed to derive hazard ratios and determine confounding and interaction effects for potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia. Mean percentage population attributable fractions were calculated with 95% confidence intervals derived from bootstrapping for seven year incidence of mild cognitive impairment or dementia. The final model retained crystallised intelligence (population attributable fraction 18.11%, 95% confidence interval 10.91% to 25.42%), depression (10.31%, 3.66% to 17.17%), fruit and vegetable consumption (6.46%, 0.15% to 13.06%), diabetes (4.88%, 1.87% to 7.98%), and apolipoprotein E epsilon4 allele (7.11%, 2.44% to 11.98%). Conclusions Increasing crystallised intelligence and fruit and vegetable consumption and eliminating depression and diabetes are likely to have the biggest impact on reducing the incidence of dementia, outweighing even the effect of removing the principal known genetic risk factor. Although causal relations cannot be concluded with certainty, the study suggests priorities that may inform public health programmes.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Ritchie, K., Carrière, I., Ritchie, C. W., Berr, C., Artero, S., & Ancelin, M. L. (2010). Designing prevention programmes to reduce incidence of dementia: prospective cohort study of modifiable risk factors. BMJ (Clinical research ed.). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.c3885
Vancouver
Ritchie K, Carrière I, Ritchie CW, Berr C, Artero S, Ancelin ML. Designing prevention programmes to reduce incidence of dementia: prospective cohort study of modifiable risk factors. BMJ (Clinical research ed.). 2010. doi:10.1136/bmj.c3885. PMID: 20688841.
BibTeX
@article{ritchie2010-20688841,
author = {Ritchie, K. and Carrière, I. and Ritchie, C. W. and Berr, C. and Artero, S. and Ancelin, M. L.},
title = {{Designing prevention programmes to reduce incidence of dementia: prospective cohort study of modifiable risk factors}},
journal = {BMJ (Clinical research ed.)},
year = {2010},
doi = {10.1136/bmj.c3885},
pmid = {20688841},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.c3885}
}
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Key findings
- Results Cox models were constructed to derive hazard ratios and determine confounding and interaction effects for potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia.
- Although causal relations cannot be concluded with certainty, the study suggests priorities that may inform public health programmes.
Why it matters
This cohort study estimated that eliminating depression and diabetes, and increasing crystallised intelligence and fruit and vegetable consumption, would reduce dementia incidence more than removing the apolipoprotein E epsilon4 allele. The authors note that causal relations cannot be concluded with certainty, so these findings suggest public health priorities rather than proven prevention.
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Study details
- Study designcohort study
- Participants1,433
- Effect size18.11%; 10.91% to 25.42%; 10.31%
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 70/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (BMJ (Clinical research ed.)) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | BMJ: journal h-index 608 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A cohort study following people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2010 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 1,433 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 | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 250 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 13.9 citations a year over 18 year(s) since 2010 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 14.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 21 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 32 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Marie‐Laure Ancelin: h-index 63 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Inserm: institution h-index 1,988 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 20688841) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 70 / 100 | — |
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