Objectives Dementia prevention and climate action share a common imperative: safeguarding future generations' health. Despite evidence that nearly half of dementia cases could be prevented by addressing modifiable risk factors, current interventions focused mostly on individual behaviours have yielded mixed cognitive benefits.
At the same time, climate change is introducing unprecedented environmental stressors, including air pollution, extreme heat exposure and degraded green spaces, that compound dementia risk. This study aimed to explore how midlife adults perceive the relationship between their daily environments, brain health-related behaviours and planetary health.
Design Qualitative study using the photovoice method. Setting Community setting in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand.
Participants 14 community-dwelling adults aged 40 - 65 years residing in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. Methods Participants took photographs and shared narratives to document how their daily environments nurture or threaten lifestyle factors related to brain health.
The project involved a five-session participatory process, and data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis informed by a planetary health framework.
BMJ Open published a clinical update in Research Highlights on 08 Apr 2026.
The item focuses on Co-exploring how environments shape brain health through a planetary health lens: a photovoice study in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand.
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