Dementia is one of the most important public health challenges of our time. Current approaches to dementia risk reduction are predominately focused on individual (or personalised) strategies which are often difficult to execute and costly to implement. Therefore, new population-level strategies, targeting whole communities, are urgently needed. This project aims to develop a new toolkit to promote dementia risk reduction that targets the whole population. We will focus on seven key modifiable risk factors for dementia (low education, physical inactivity, obesity, hypertension, hearing loss, alcohol misuse, and smoking) to develop new dementia risk messaging, based on evidence from the literature and using co-design principles. The efficacy of the toolkit in promoting health literacy and behaviour change will be evaluated in Western Australia using a pre- and post-campaign design, with a follow-up of 12-months. Additionally, we will explore the cost-effectiveness of the strategy, considering the feasibility of implementing the toolkit on a larger scale nationally. Empowering individuals with knowledge about dementia risk and promoting behaviour change could have a significant impact on the number of dementia cases. Indeed, research suggests that in Australia 48% of dementia cases could be prevented through actions to mitigate the seven risk factors addressed in this PhD.AimsThe aim is to develop a new public health toolkit, to equip individuals with knowledge, increase motivation and help them make informed choices to proactively address seven key modifiable risk factors for dementia including low education, physical inactivity, obesity, hypertension, hearing loss, alcohol misuse, and smoking.Significance While public health campaigns targeting health and lifestyle risks, such as smoking, alcohol use, poor diet, and cardiovascular disease do vary in effectiveness the evidence suggests that they provide a valuable tool for reducing risk and improving public health outcomes. To date, no public health campaign focused specifically on reducing dementia risk exists. Development of new dementia risk reduction campaigns would possibly encourage more individuals to adopt healthier lifestyles and behaviours thereby reducing the burden of disease associated with this condition and it risk factors.Members of the supervisory team (Burton, Stephan & Siervo) secured funding as part of the WA Cohort Studies Research Support Program (2024) to undertake a program of work into dementia risk prediction and reduction in WA and nationally. We have secured funds to engage with a design team to develop a dementia risk reduction toolkit and the PhD candidate will lead this component of work. Being integrated into the project team means that the student will have the opportunity to work closely with the project partners including researchers from Curtin, the University of Western Australia, Edith Cowan University and Dementia Australia. The project will sit within the newly established Dementia Centre of Excellence (Curtin University; federally funded with additional support from Dementia Australia) of which a key goal is to train the next generation of WA/Australian researchers. We therefore align to one of Curtin’s key Priority Goals of capacity strengthening. The student will be mentored by internationally renowned experts in ageing, dementia, nutrition, physical activity, public health, and disease prevention research. This will ensure exposure to a wide range of topics and thinking, enhancing the candidate’s skills development and the quality of the project.An internship may be available for this project. The supervisory team has established links with Dementia Australia (DA). The student will have the opportunity to work closely with the DA team to inform design of the toolkit. They will also work closely with our consumer engagement groups within the Curtin enAble Institute to co-design and evaluate the toolkit.Eligibility criteriaThe successful candidate will be a self-motivated PhD candidate with an interest in dementia risk reduction research and excellent academic record. Candidates with a strong background in public health and intervention research are encouraged to apply. Experience in mixed methods (i.e., quantitative, and qualitative) is desirable. We are particularly keen to recruit someone with excellent verbal and written communication skills who is keen to work with stakeholders, consumer group and our toolkit design partner.Application processPlease send your CV, academic transcripts and brief rationale why you want to join this research project via the HDR Expression of Interest form to the project lead researcher, Professor Blossom Stephan.