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Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open
Journal article
Wealth, income and dementia in Germany: longitudinal findings from a representative survey among the oldest old
BMC public health, Vol.25(1), pp.1-8
29/08/2025
PMID: 40883744
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Abstract
Background: There is limited knowledge on the link between wealth, as well as income, and dementia risk among the oldest old (80 years and over). The purpose of our study was to examine the association between income, wealth, and dementia among the oldest old in Germany.
Methods: We used representative longitudinal data from a survey, which aimed to assess the quality of life and subjective well-being of individuals aged 80 years and above in North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany). The length of follow-up was approximately 2 years. The sample consisted of both community-dwelling and institutionalized individuals, with a total of 943 observations included in the analysis. The average age of the participants was 86.0 years (SD: 4.0 years). Probable dementia was assessed by DemTect, a widely accepted screening instrument. Common income and wealth categories were used to quantify these variables.
Results: After adjusting for sociodemographic and health variables, logistic random effects regressions showed that greater wealth was associated with a lower likelihood of probable dementia (second lowest wealth quartile compared to lowest wealth quartile: OR: 0.23, 95% CI: 0.07-0.76; second highest wealth quartile: OR: 0.05, 95% CI: 0.01-0.31; highest wealth quartile: OR: 0.12, 95% CI: 0.02-0.91). In contrast, income was not significantly associated with the likelihood of probable dementia.
Conclusion: Our study showed a link between wealth and dementia. Such knowledge can enrich poverty and inequality research within this field. More specifically, our findings lend support to evidence-based policies aiming to decrease the burden of dementia in later life through reduction in economic inequalities and better income distribution.
Details
- Title
- Wealth, income and dementia in Germany: longitudinal findings from a representative survey among the oldest old
- Creators
- André Hajek - University Medical Center Hamburg-EppendorfHans-Helmut König - University Medical Center Hamburg-EppendorfSnorri Bjorn Rafnsson - University of West LondonRazak M. Gyasi - African Population and Health Research Center
- Publication Details
- BMC public health, Vol.25(1), pp.1-8
- Publisher
- BioMed Central; LONDON
- Grant note
- Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.
- Identifiers
- 991013310218802368
- Copyright
- © The Author(s) 2025.
- Academic Unit
- National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article