As a first-of-its-kind study, researchers at the University of Ottawa and the Ottawa Hospital developed an online calculator to assess and predict the risk of dementia among older adults.
Presented online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, the calculator was developed based on survey data of more than 75,000 Canadian participants.
As part of the Dementia Population Risk Tool (DemPoRT), factors such as age, ethnicity, immigration status, education, socioeconomic status, marital status, health conditions, diet, physical activity, and smoking status.
The calculator assesses the dementia risk and can suggest when to improve lifestyle.
“What sets this dementia risk calculator apart is that you don’t need to visit a doctor for any tests,” according to the study’s lead author. “People already have all the information they need to complete the calculator in the comfort of their home.”
The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
The calculator can be found at projectbiglife.ca.
