Public perceptions of brain health: an international, online cross-sectional survey
Klaus P Ebmeier,
Rogier A Kievit,
Sandra Düzel,
Christian A Drevon,
Isabelle Budin-Ljøsne,
Athanasia Monika Mowinckel,
Barbara Bodorkos Friedman,
Rebecca Bruu Carver,
Enikő Zsoldos,
Nanna Alida Grit Fredheim,
Øystein Sørensen,
William Frans Christiaan Baaré,
Kathrine Skak Madsen,
Anders M Fjell,
Paolo Ghisletta,
David Bartrés-Faz,
Laura Nawijn,
Cristina Solé-Padullés,
Kristine B Walhovd,
Larisa Zasyekina,
Maria Florencia Iulita,
Maria Teresa Ferretti
Affiliations
Klaus P Ebmeier
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Rogier A Kievit
Cognitive Neuroscience Department, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Sandra Düzel
Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
Christian A Drevon
Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Isabelle Budin-Ljøsne
Department of Food Safety, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
Athanasia Monika Mowinckel
Department of Psychology, Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Barbara Bodorkos Friedman
Department of Psychology, Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Rebecca Bruu Carver
Department of Communication, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
Enikő Zsoldos
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Nanna Alida Grit Fredheim
Department of Genetics and Bioinformatics, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
Øystein Sørensen
Department of Psychology, Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
William Frans Christiaan Baaré
Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital, København, Denmark
Kathrine Skak Madsen
Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital, København, Denmark
Anders M Fjell
Department of Psychology, Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Paolo Ghisletta
Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
David Bartrés-Faz
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and Institute of Neuroscience, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Laura Nawijn
Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Cristina Solé-Padullés
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and Institute of Neuroscience, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Kristine B Walhovd
Department of Psychology, Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Larisa Zasyekina
Department of General and Clinical Psychology, Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University, Luc`k, Ukraine
Maria Florencia Iulita
Department of Neurology, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Objectives To investigate public perspectives on brain health.Design Cross-sectional multilanguage online survey.Setting Lifebrain posted the survey on its website and social media and shared it with stakeholders. The survey was open from 4 June 2019 to 31 August 2020.Participants n=27 590 aged ≥18 years from 81 countries in five continents completed the survey. The respondents were predominantly women (71%), middle aged (41–60 years; 37%) or above (>60 years; 46%), highly educated (69%) and resided in Europe (98%).Main outcome measures Respondents’ views were assessed regarding factors that may influence brain health, life periods considered important to look after the brain and diseases and disorders associated with the brain. We run exploratory linear models at a 99% level of significance to assess correlates of the outcome variables, adjusting for likely confounders in a targeted fashion.Results Of all significant effects, the respondents recognised the impact of lifestyle factors on brain health but had relatively less awareness of the role socioeconomic factors might play. Most respondents rated all life periods as important for the brain (95%–96%), although the prenatal period was ranked significantly lower (84%). Equally, women and highly educated respondents more often rated factors and life periods to be important for brain health. Ninety-nine per cent of respondents associated Alzheimer’s disease and dementia with the brain. The respondents made a connection between mental health and the brain, and mental disorders such as schizophrenia and depression were significantly more often considered to be associated with the brain than neurological disorders such as stroke and Parkinson’s disease. Few respondents (<32%) associated cancer, hypertension, diabetes and arthritis with the brain.Conclusions Differences in perceptions of brain health were noted among specific segments of the population. Policies providing information about brain-friendly health behaviours and targeting people less likely to have relevant experience may be needed.
