Nearly 3 in 4 Older Adults Express Interest in Vaccine to Prevent Dementia

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 23, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Middle-aged U.S. adults mostly report interest in receiving a preventive dementia vaccine, according to a study published online Sept. 21 in JAMA Network Open.

J. Felipe Montano-Campos, Ph.D., from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and colleagues examined whether willingness to receive a low-cost, multidose vaccine for dementia prevention differed by age, sex, and race and ethnicity. The analysis included 2025 Dementia and Medication survey data from 1,529 participants (aged 50 years and older) in the Understanding America Study.

The researchers found that 72.1 percent of respondents overall reported willingness to adopt (likely, very likely, definitely yes), 20.8 percent reported hesitation (not sure/neutral), and 7.2 percent reported no willingness (definitely no, very unlikely, unlikely). There was variance across sociodemographic groups, including an increase in the willingness to adopt with age (definitely-yes responses increased from 31.1 percent among respondents aged 50 to 59 years to 35.1 percent for those aged 70 years and older). Hesitation was higher among respondents aged 50 to 59 years (26.0 percent) and for women (23 percent versus 18.5 percent for men). Black respondents had the highest levels of hesitation and the lowest share of definitely-yes responses (25.9 and 19.4 percent, respectively) versus White respondents (19.8 and 35.8 percent, respectively). These patterns remained when adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Additionally, respondents with higher income (odds ratio [OR], 1.64) and those with a college degree or higher (OR, 1.44) were more willing to receive a vaccine. Higher willingness was also seen among respondents who reported that they or someone close to them had dementia (OR, 1.43).

“Older adults are highly interested in receiving a preventive dementia vaccine, while relatively few are opposed,” Montano-Campos said in a statement. “As vaccine options emerge, efforts may be needed to address hesitancy among some groups, including those at higher risk for dementia.”

One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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