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ABSTRACT
Dementia risk-reduction education increasingly seeks to translate evidence about modifiable risk factors into knowledge, engagement and meaningful action. However, the availability of information does not necessarily result in understanding, behavioural readiness or sustained behaviour change. This paper presents a conceptual synthesis of a developing research programme examining how dementia risk-reduction education can move beyond information delivery towards more meaningful and context-sensitive forms of knowledge translation.
The paper synthesises a programme of original conceptual scholarship addressing dementia prevention literacy, dementia education, digital education, behavioural change and the evaluation of educational interventions. Across these interrelated contributions, the research programme identifies a persistent gap between the provision of dementia risk-reduction information and its translation into meaningful engagement and action. It proposes that educational outcomes are shaped not only by the content and accessibility of information, but also by interpretation, engagement, behavioural readiness, contextual conditions and the resources available to support action.
Building on this conceptual development, the paper integrates these contributions into an overarching research framework and demonstrates how the framework can be operationalised for empirical investigation. A realist-informed evaluation strategy is proposed to examine how, for whom, under what circumstances, and through which mechanisms digital dementia risk-reduction education may contribute to improved prevention literacy and behaviour-related outcomes.
The paper therefore represents a transition from conceptual and theoretical development to an empirically testable research programme. It establishes the conceptual, theoretical and methodological foundation for subsequent investigation of digital dementia risk-reduction education and its capacity to translate information into meaningful health action.
Keywords: Dementia prevention; dementia prevention literacy; dementia education; digital health education; health literacy; behaviour change; knowledge translation; realist evaluation