Summary: A new University of Michigan report exposes a major public health gap: nearly all Michiganders aged 50 and older say preserving brain health is very important, yet fewer than half (47%) understand that everyday lifestyle changes can reduce their future risk of dementia.
Conducted in January 2026, the Michigan Poll on Healthy Aging surveyed 1,293 Michigan adults and compared responses to a national sample. The poll shows that half or fewer respondents practice key protective behaviors—adequate sleep, regular physical activity, balanced nutrition, and mentally stimulating activity—on a daily or most-days basis.
Key Facts
- Intention–Knowledge Gap: Nearly all older Michigan adults prioritize brain health, but only 47% know that routine lifestyle choices can directly lower future dementia risk.
- Low Uptake of Protective Habits: Only 36% report daily physical activity, 40% follow a balanced diet, 48% engage in mentally stimulating tasks, and 54% consistently get seven or more hours of sleep.
- Michigan Trails the Nation: Seventy percent of Michigan adults age 50+ view lifestyle behaviors as very important to brain health versus 76% in other states.
- Missed Clinical Opportunities: Although most older adults want to learn about brain health from clinicians, just 23% have discussed it with a healthcare provider.
- Ongoing Burden: About 11% of Michiganders over 65 live with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias, with family and friends providing more than 680 million hours of unpaid care each year.
Major findings and context
The poll highlights a disconnect: older adults in Michigan overwhelmingly say brain health matters, but many do not recognize how daily choices affect long-term cognitive risk. Research increasingly links dementia risk to modifiable lifestyle factors—diet, sleep quality, social engagement, mental and physical activity, and management of cardiovascular risk factors, hearing loss, and weight.
Compared with a national sample of adults in the same age range, Michigan residents were less likely to rate lifestyle behaviors as very important to protecting the brain. Within Michigan, residents of the Upper Peninsula and the northern Lower Peninsula were especially less likely to view healthy lifestyle behaviors as critical to reducing dementia risk.
Experts involved with the poll emphasize education and cautious skepticism toward unproven commercial products. Scott Roberts, Ph.D., Associate Director of the National Poll on Healthy Aging, recommended building on public education efforts—such as established “healthy habits” campaigns—to encourage middle-aged and older adults to adopt evidence-based behaviors that support brain health. He also warned against marketing claims for supplements that promise to preserve memory without rigorous evidence.
The Michigan-specific results supported a broader national analysis conducted with the Alzheimer’s Association and informed the organization’s annual Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures update. The Michigan poll targeted adults 50 and older and is funded by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund and Michigan Medicine.
Poll director Jeffrey Kullgren, M.D., M.S., M.P.H., stressed the role of prevention: lifestyle changes begun in midlife and earlier can prevent or delay cognitive decline. He noted that primary care visits are an underused opportunity for clinicians to explain how managing blood pressure, cholesterol, physical activity, and other risk factors defends long-term brain health.
How Michiganders rated specific brain health factors
Respondents rated the importance of 15 commonly cited health and lifestyle factors for reducing dementia risk. The percentage of older adults who rated each factor as very important included:
- Preventing head injury: 80%
- Managing stress: 71%
- Not smoking: 71%
- Treating depression: 71%
- Controlling blood pressure: 70%
- Limiting alcohol: 58%
- Maintaining a healthy weight: 57%
- Managing cholesterol: 54%
- Addressing hearing loss: 53%
When asked how often they perform activities known to support cognitive health, respondents reported doing the following daily or most days:
- Get seven or more hours of sleep: 54%
- Do mentally stimulating activities: 48%
- Eat a healthy balanced diet: 40%
- Get some form of daily physical activity (walking, stretching, etc.): 36%
Each of these behaviors was rated very important by roughly 61% to 68% of respondents, yet fewer people consistently practice them—highlighting the gap between knowledge and action.
Key Questions Answered:
A: The main reason is limited awareness. Less than half of older adults recognize that daily behaviors directly influence long-term dementia risk. Many believe cognitive decline is inevitable or primarily genetic, so they may not take deliberate steps—like improving diet, increasing physical activity, or managing cardiovascular health—to protect their brains.
A: Primary care providers are well positioned to bridge the gap. Although most older adults want to learn about brain health from clinicians, only 23% have had those conversations. Routine visits offer a practical setting to counsel patients on evidence-based steps—such as blood pressure and cholesterol control, physical activity, and mental stimulation—that reduce dementia risk.
A: No. University of Michigan experts caution against relying on supplements marketed as memory protectors. Currently, there is no strong evidence that these products prevent dementia. Public health efforts and individual choices should focus on proven lifestyle approaches like regular exercise, social engagement, and cardiovascular risk management.
The role of healthcare professionals
Most older Michigan adults said they would like to learn about brain health from their healthcare provider, yet only 23% have discussed the topic with a clinician. Among Michiganders age 65 and over, 30% reported having a cognitive screening test in the past year, a tool that can help identify early changes in memory and thinking. While universal cognitive screening for everyone over 65 is not mandated by all organizations, testing can be part of routine care—especially when there are concerns about memory or cognitive function.
Recent years have seen the approval of prescription drugs aimed at slowing decline in early-stage cognitive impairment and the development of blood tests for Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers. However, no cure exists for dementia, which reinforces the importance of prevention through modifiable lifestyle factors.
Survey methods
The Michigan Poll on Healthy Aging included 1,293 Michigan adults aged 50 to 93, drawn from the NORC AmeriSpeak panel and supplemental non-probability participants, and compared their responses to 2,808 non-Michigan adults aged 50 to 98. The survey was administered online and by phone in January 2026.
Editorial Notes:
- This article was edited by a Neuroscience News editor.
- The related journal paper was reviewed in full by the editorial team.
- Additional context was added by staff to clarify findings and implications.
About this brain health and aging research news
Author: Kara Gavin
Source: University of Michigan
Contact: Kara Gavin, University of Michigan
Image credit: Neuroscience News