The High Council for Public Health (Haut Conseil de la santé publique, HCSP) presents recommendations for a prevention strategy of Alzheimer’s disease and related diseases (ADRD) to be implemented in France.

The HCSP advises 4 axes of recommendations for prevention:

• Increase awareness within the community and amongst health professionals of ADRD and the possibilities for prevention,
• Promote actions to prevent ADRD at targeted times and for targeted audiences,
• Include dementia in the National Health Strategy and the future National Public Health Plan,
• Promote the epidemiological surveillance and research on the prevention of these diseases.

The HCSP analyzed the data related to the modifiable risk or protection factors for these diseases using French and foreign observation and intervention studies, as well as by performing auditions of experts on the main known factors. It assessed the benefits and risks of these different factors such as level of education, nutrition and physical activity, high blood pressure, diabetes, the use of some medicines.

The public policies of other developed countries regarding the fight against cognitive decline and dementia were also studied. Prevention programs: objectives, target populations, implemented measures and tools, and assessment were specifically analyzed. In addition, the HCSP auditioned actors involved in the field of these diseases (patient associations, individuals involved in public policies, those in charge of their care, their monitoring, those in charge of the promotion of health, health economists, general practitioners).

This report was mandated by the Directorate-General for Health.