The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is highlighting a number of resources created from partnerships with national organizations on reducing the risk of cognitive decline. They focus on impact or chronic diseases including hypertension and diabetes on cognitive decline.
- The Alzheimer’s Association has an action brief Protecting the Heart and Brain: Managing Hypertension to Reduce the Risk of Cognitive Decline. It highlights the public health community’s role to help reduce the risk of cognitive decline in populations by preventing and managing high blood pressure. Hypertension is a major risk factor for numerous health and chronic conditions, including cognitive impairment.
- The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) developed a series of information cards aimed at providing education on reducing cognitive decline. The cards focus on providing information to the general public on promising areas to reduce risk for cognitive decline such as health diet, blood pressure management and physical activity.
The Healthy Brain Initiative’s (HBI) Road Maps call on public health agencies to reduce the risk of cognitive impairment. The Road
Maps provide a foundation for decision-makers and public health practitioners to alter policies, systems and environments to maximize risk reduction of cognitive decline and impairment. Starting to implement the Road Maps’ risk reduction strategies is essential to curb the growth in future cases of cognitive impairment and possibly dementia.
These resources show the opportunity to reduce risk of cognitive decline utilizing chronic disease prevention and management practices that also have a wide variety of other positive health benefits.