The risk of a person developing dementia can rise by almost half, depending on the area in which you live, a new study claims.

Health experts found those living in the poorest of neighbourhoods saw their chances of developing dementia can increase by 43%. Poverty and poor wages, coupled with low education, increased dementia in these disadvantaged areas. The team of researchers at Duke University, North Carolina, found poor neighbourhoods also appeared to damage people’s brains.

Those living in poorer areas often had outlets selling processed food and exercise was more difficult. The quality of air and factors such as noise pollution were also key factors and crime and antisocial behaviour were higher prompting more stress for people living there. Areas where people live longer have previously been seen as being protected from the condition and have become known as Blue Zones. Researchers wanted to discover whether living locations could be detrimental.

Dr Aaron Reuben, a clinical neuropsychologist at Duke University, led the study. He said: “A lot of individual choices, like what you eat, what you do for fun, or who you spend time with, are constrained by where you live. I wanted to understand if there was a geographic patterning to dementia the way there is to longevity, like Blue Zones. If you want to prevent dementia, and you’re not asking someone about their neighbourhood, you’re missing information that’s important.”

Teams looked at 1.41 million people's medical records in New Zealand and examined where they lived to establish if there was a connection between their health and address. Their findings were published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. Analysis showed those in the most disadvantaged areas had a 43% higher risk of dementia over a 20 year period.