India, April 16 -- Living in areas with shorter distances to greenspace and lower crime rates are associated with having fewer modifiable dementia risk factors, Monash University-led research has found.

Published in Preventive Medicine Reports, the Australian study investigated neighbourhood characteristics associated with dementia risk and cognition.

It found a doubling of distance to greenspace was equal to being about 2.5 years older, in terms of dementia risk factors. Each two-fold increase in crime was approximately equal to a reduction in memory score attributable to a three-year increase in age.

This relationship was particularly evident in those living in areas of lower socioeconomic status (SES).

The greenspace aspect include...