Dementia research priorities in Latin America and the Caribbean: findings from a multi-country stakeholder survey
Dementia is an escalating public health challenge in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), where ageing populations intersect with constrained health systems and limited region-specific evidence. We conducted a cross-sectional, multi-country, stakeholder-engaged survey across 25 countries to identify dementia research priorities, ranking 11 predefined domains identified through a structured literature review aligned with the WHO Dementia Research Blueprint. Among 842 respondents, stakeholder roles included the general public (28.6%), healthcare professionals (24.1%), researchers (21.6%), caregivers (22.7%), policymakers (1.6%), and people living with cognitive impairment or dementia (1.3%); roles were not mutually exclusive. Prevention and risk reduction and early diagnosis ranked as the two highest priorities across all groups. Secondary priorities varied: healthcare professionals emphasized pharmacological treatments, caregivers person-centred care, and policymakers professional skills development. These findings indicate consistency in prioritizing prevention and early diagnosis across stakeholder groups, while highlighting complementary perspectives that can inform more balanced, context-responsive research agendas across LAC.
Authors
- Juan J. Llibre Rodríguez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8215-3160)
- Ana Margarita Rodriguez Salgado (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5993-5466)
- Ivonne Z. Jiménez‐Velázquez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9943-1657)
- Claudia A. Duran-Aniotz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2503-8366)
- Lucía Crivelli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0083-9389)
- Adelina Comas‐Herrera (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9860-9062)
- Ana Luisa Sosa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3930-3618)
- Mariella Guerra (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8923-349X)
- Gustavo Emilio Sevlever (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9567-7553)
- Jorge J. Llibre‐Guerra (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2137-7750)
- Aquiles Salas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4687-2448)
- Daisy M Acosta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5196-8578)
- Matthew Prina (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6698-3263)
- Isaac de Acosta
- Tania Zayas
- Bertha Quesada
- Raúl Gutierrez-Herrera
- Marco Garcia
Institutions
- University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus (PR)
- Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (MX)
- University of Puerto Rico System (PR)
- Washington University in St. Louis (US)
- Trinity College Dublin (IE)
- Adolfo Ibáñez University (CL)
- University of Havana (CU)
- Hospital Clínico Universitario de Caracas (VE)
- Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña (DO)
- Instituto de la Memoria Depresión y Enfermedades de Riesgo (PE)
- Instituto de Neurología Cognitiva (AR)
- Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía (MX)
- Universidad Central de Venezuela (VE)
- Newcastle University (GB)
- London School of Economics and Political Science (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- npj Dementia
- Published
- 2026-10-14
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s44400-026-00153-0
- Primary Topic
- Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Alzheimer's Association