Most US Adults Aged 50+ Open to Preventive Dementia Vaccine

TOPLINEMore than 70% of US adults aged 50 years or older were open to receive a hypothetical cost-effective, multidose vaccine that could lower dementia risk by half, a survey showed. Vaccine acceptance increased with age and was lower among women and Black respondents than among men and White respondents.METHODOLOGYResearchers analyzed data from the 2025 Dementia and Medication survey, which was part of the Understanding America Study.1529 adults aged 50 years or older (mean age, 65.6 years; 52.5% women; 73.7% White, 14.6% Hispanic, and 11.7% Black individuals) were included from across the US.Participants were presented with a hypothetical scenario in which they were at high risk for dementia and asked to indicate their willingness to receive a low-cost, multidose vaccine that would reduce the risk by 50%.Responses were measured on a 7-point scale and ranged from "definitely no" to "definitely yes."The analysis controlled for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.TAKEAWAYOverall, 72.1% of respondents reported willingness to adopt the vaccine (likely, very likely, or definitely yes), 20.8% reported hesitation (not sure or neutral), and 7.2% reported no willingness (definitely no, very unlikely, or unlikely).Willingness to receive the vaccine was higher among older participants than among those aged 50-59 years (60-69 years: adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.46; P = .002 and ≥ 70 years: aOR, 1.60; P < .001).Women were less willing to receive the vaccine than men (aOR, 0.74; P = .002). Compared with White participants, Black participants were less willing to receive the vaccine (aOR, 0.72; P = .03); no significant difference was observed for Hispanic participants.Participants with household incomes above $100,000 showed greater willingness to receive the vaccine than those with household incomes below $30,000 (aOR, 1.64; P = .001). Participants with a college degree or higher were more willing to receive the vaccine than those without (aOR, 1.44; P < .001). Participants who reported that they or someone close to them had experienced dementia were more willing to receive the vaccine than those without this experience (aOR, 1.43; P < .001).IN PRACTICE"Our findings have important implications for the implementation of emerging preventive dementia vaccines, suggesting the need for targeted communication and engagement to ensure equitable uptake," the authors wrote.SOURCEThe study was led by J. Felipe Montano-Campos, PhD, Price School of Public Policy, Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy and Government Service, University of Southern California, Los Angeles. It was published online on September 21 as a Research Letter in JAMA Network Open.LIMITATIONSVaccine acceptance was measured through hypothetical scenarios; the findings may not fully apply to a real clinical setting. DISCLOSURESThe study was funded by the National Institute on Aging. Disclosure information for the study authors is available in the original study publication.This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.