Poverty Linked to Rising Dementia Rates in New Zealand

Research from the University of Auckland indicates that addressing poverty is the most critical step New Zealand can take to reduce the prevalence of dementia. Dr. Etuini Ma’u, a senior lecturer in psychological medicine and a Te Whatu Ora psychiatrist for older people, states that the underlying driver of high dementia rates in certain populations is deprivation rather than ethnicity.

Modelling from Dr. Ma’u’s latest research suggests that if all New Zealanders lived in the same wealthy environments as the top 20 percent of the population, dementia rates would decrease by approximately 19 percent over a 30-year period.

The Impact of Socioeconomic Deprivation

The research highlights a significant disparity in dementia risk based on where individuals live. Dr. Ma’u’s findings show a 50 percent higher risk of dementia for people residing in the most deprived areas of New Zealand compared to those living in the most affluent areas.

Other research from the Public Health Communication Centre further emphasizes this link, noting that the risk of developing dementia is 60 percent higher for people in the most deprived areas of New Zealand compared to those in the least deprived areas.

This relationship between environment and health is evident across all ethnic groups. Dr. Ma’u notes that dementia risk increases as deprivation rises regardless of ethnicity.

Ethnic Disparities and Poverty

Statistics show that dementia rates are approximately 50 percent higher among Māori and Pacific people aged over 60 than among European and Asian New Zealanders of the same age.

However, the research clarifies that ethnicity is not the primary driver of this risk. Instead, the disparity is linked to the fact that about 35 percent of Māori and Pacific people live in the poorest parts of New Zealand.

To support the conclusion that deprivation is the key factor, Dr. Ma’u observes that Māori and Pacific people living in affluent areas face a lower risk of dementia, while Europeans living in areas with high deprivation face a higher risk.

Environmental and Lifestyle Factors

A separate NIA-funded study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia examined data from 1.41 million people using the New Zealand Integrated Data Infrastructure. This study analyzed neighborhood disadvantage using the NZDep score, which incorporates factors such as education, income, unemployment, housing stability, and living conditions.

The findings suggest that the environment in which a person resides influences their exposure to various dementia risk factors. These include:

• Pollution
• Noise
• Extreme temperatures

The study also noted that while individual behavioral changes, such as regular exercise, can help lower dementia risk, the characteristics of certain disadvantaged neighborhoods can limit the ability of midlife and older adults to make these significant lifestyle changes.

Public Health Implications

The evidence suggests that focusing dementia-prevention efforts specifically on disadvantaged neighborhoods could help reduce overall risk. The NIA-funded research encourages health care providers to consider a patient’s residential address as a relevant factor in health assessments.

The broader medical context includes a 2024 publication in the Lancet, which identified 14 risk factors for dementia, further underscoring the complexity of the disease and the role of external environmental influences.

Dementia risk isn’t driven by ethnicity – it’s driven by deprivation.

Dr. Etuini Ma’u