A lack of free time could be raising dementia risk, with researchers calling for action on ‘temporal inequity’ to protect brain health.

A new perspective article from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia argues that ‘time poverty’ – not having enough discretionary time – may limit people’s ability to prevent dementia, particularly among women and lower-income groups.

The researchers say people need sufficient time to support brain health through exercise, sleep, nutrition and social connection.

“Up to 45 per cent of dementia cases worldwide could be prevented if modifiable risk factors were eliminated,” says epidemiologist Susanne Röhr.

“However, many people simply don’t have the discretionary time to exercise, rest properly, eat healthily, or stay socially connected.

“This lack of time – what we call ‘time poverty’ – is a hidden barrier to dementia risk reduction.”

The team estimates that around 10 hours a day are required for brain-care activities such as adequate sleep, healthy eating, physical activity and social interaction.

Yet, the pressures of modern life – from work demands to caring responsibilities – often make this unrealistic.

Women face particular challenges, handling most caregiving duties globally, while lower-income workers often have to work longer or irregular hours, further reducing their free time.

“For many, especially those in disadvantaged or caregiving roles, this simply isn’t achievable under current conditions,” says psychology researcher Simone Reppermund.

“Addressing time poverty is therefore essential if we are serious about preventing dementia.”

The researchers call for broader social measures, including improved childcare, more flexible work arrangements such as four-day work weeks, better public transport and the right to disconnect from work.

They warn that if such steps are not taken, dementia rates will continue to rise, with the greatest impact on disadvantaged populations.

“Brain health policy and research have focused heavily on individual behaviour change,” says neuropsychiatrist Perminder Sachdev.

“But unless people are given the temporal resources to act on these recommendations, we risk leaving behind those who need it most.

“Just as governments act on income inequality, we need to act on temporal inequity.”

The researchers add that dementia-related lifestyle risks – such as loneliness, poor diet, inadequate sleep, lack of exercise and poor oral hygiene – all require time to manage effectively.

They say this highlights a shift from focusing solely on personal choice to recognising the wider structural barriers that stop people from reducing their dementia risk, even when they know what to do.

Tango dancers have brains that appear more than seven years younger than their actual age, with creativity linked to slower brain ageing across all art forms, new research has found.

Musicians and visual artists showed brains about five to six years younger, while gamers’ brains appeared around four years younger, according to research examining how creative activities affect brain health.

The more participants practised their art form, the stronger the anti-ageing effect.

“Creativity protects brain areas that are vulnerable to ageing and makes brain communication more efficient,” said Carlos Coronel, postdoctoral researcher at the Latin American Brain Health Institute.

He compared the effect to “building more, larger, and higher-quality roads to communicate between cities within a country.”

Researchers collected data from almost 1,400 people across 13 countries, including expert tango dancers, musicians, visual artists and gamers, and non-experts matched for age, education and gender.

The work, led by the Latin American Brain Health Institute at Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez and Trinity College Dublin, used artificial intelligence “brain clocks” to estimate brain age.

Brain clocks are AI models that estimate how old a brain appears based on scans or patterns of neural activity.

When someone’s predicted brain age is lower than their chronological age, it suggests their brain is ageing more slowly and functioning more efficiently for their years.

The researchers recorded brain activity using magnetoencephalography and electroencephalography — techniques that measure electrical activity in real time.

They then trained computer models to create a brain clock for each participant.

Even short-term creative training produced benefits. Non-experts who trained for 30 hours in the strategy video game StarCraft II showed a reduction in brain age of between two and three years.

The team also used “digital brains” — biophysical computer simulations that replicate real brain activity using mathematical equations — to understand why creativity may protect against ageing.

These models showed that creative activities help key brain areas work better together, especially regions involved in focus and learning that typically age first.

Professor Agustín Ibáñez from Trinity College Dublin said the research “reframes creativity as a biological pathway to brain health and resilience, not only a cultural or psychological phenomenon.”

The findings suggest that creativity keeps connections between brain regions stronger and more flexible, particularly in areas that usually decline with age.

It did not matter which art form participants practised — dancing, painting, music or gaming all showed similar effects.

“By showing that artistic engagement can delay brain ageing, this research helps us reimagine the role of creativity in education, public health, and ageing societies,” the researchers said.

They described creativity as a “scalable, accessible and deeply human mechanism” to sustain cognitive and emotional wellbeing across diverse populations and lifespans.

Unlike many brain health interventions, creative activities also provide enjoyment alongside biological benefits.

“Your next dance step, brush stroke, or musical note might just help your brain stay a little younger,” the researchers concluded.

Asian and Black people with long-term health conditions are more likely to underreport anxiety, depression and daily activity difficulties than white populations, new research shows.

The findings, based on data from 2.6 million people in England, raise concerns about how health outcomes are measured and how services are designed for diverse communities.

Researchers found that people from different ethnic groups with similar health conditions rated their quality of life differently.

The study, by health economists at the University of Manchester and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester, explored these differences.

Dr Juan Marcelo Virdis from the University of Manchester said: “Our study found that certain Black and Asian ethnic groups could be more likely to downplay different aspects of how health affects their lives.

“This is important because differences between perceived and actual health can affect how people seek healthcare and could, for example, delay a clinical consultation.

“But understanding these differences is crucial for designing equitable health services and improving outcomes across diverse populations.”

Data from the General Practice Patient Survey included 2.3 million white respondents, 160,000 Asian, 70,000 Black, 20,000 of mixed or multiple background, and 60,000 from other ethnic groups.

Participants reported which of 15 long-term health conditions they had.

The researchers used the EQ-5D-5L, a standardised tool developed by the EuroQol Group to measure health-related quality of life across five areas: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain or discomfort, and anxiety or depression.

Each area has five levels of severity, from no problems to extreme problems or inability.

In some cases, such as mobility among Black and other ethnic groups or self-care among Asian groups, respondents were more likely to choose extreme rather than moderate categories.

The study also found variation within these broader ethnic groupings.

The reasons why some ethnic groups report differently remain unclear.

The researchers suggest that people’s cultural background and expectations may shape how they interpret health questions and what they consider “normal”.

Although the survey relies on self-reported data, this measure is considered more objective than those used in earlier studies in England.

It is also the largest analysis to date examining differences in self-rated health across ethnic groups.

The findings have implications for how healthcare providers interpret patient-reported symptoms.

If some groups consistently understate problems such as anxiety or difficulty with daily activities, they may not receive the care or support they need.

Dr Virdis said: “Our research provides a foundation for further studies using objectively measured health conditions, such as biological risk factors or physical health measures like grip strength.

“We were not able to investigate the mechanisms involved, so this could be a focus for future qualitative research.”