Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Apr 3;23(1):42.
doi: 10.1186/s12961-025-01314-y.

A scoping review of national policies for dementia prevention and control in mainland China

Jingbin Zhang  1 , Xiaowan Wang  1 , Shasha Yuan  2
Affiliations

A scoping review of national policies for dementia prevention and control in mainland China

Jingbin Zhang et al. Health Res Policy Syst. .

Abstract

Introduction: Limited knowledge has been found on the policies of dementia prevention and control from low- and middle-income (LMIC) countries. This study aims to provide comprehensive evidence of policy progress regarding dementia prevention and control in mainland China by scoping review on the basis of seven priority areas proposed in The Global Action Plan on the Public Health Response to Dementia 2017-2025.

Methods: We searched the websites of China State Council, National Health Commission, Ministry of Civil Affairs, National Development and Reform Commission, National Healthcare Security Administration and National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine for all policies regarding dementia. The keywords included Chi Dai (dementia), A Er Ci Hai Mo (Alzheimer's), Ren Zhi Zhang Ai (cognitive impairment) and Shi Zhi (dementia), and the search covered materials published by 15 April 2023. Policy diffusion analysis, policy reference network analysis and thematic framework analysis were used to analyse the policy contents.

Results: The number of national policies for dementia prevention and control in mainland China increased significantly during 2015-2022. The National Health Commission was responsible for the most policies, while the State Council was responsible for the most important ones. A total of 50 departments were involved in the development of policies for dementia prevention and control, but the stable collaborative relationship among them needs further strengthened. In terms of WHO dementia global action plan, the topic of "dementia as a public health priority" was strongly emphasized, while the areas of "dementia research and innovation" and "information systems for dementia" were less focussed on.

Conclusions: Some policy gaps, including priority arrangement, multisectoral cooperation and policy implementation, must still be addressed in the future to support the interests of people with dementia and their caregivers more effectively.

Keywords: China; Dementia; Health policy; Public health; Review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart of dementia prevention and control policy retrieval and inclusion
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Annual distribution of dementia prevention and control policies in China
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Network of departments involved in the co-development of dementia prevention and control policies. Notes: 2—NHC; 5—Office of the National Committee on Ageing Work; 6—MCA; 8—NATCM; 9—NDRC; 10—MOF; 14—Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS); 17—Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China (MOST); 25—Ministry of Education (MOE); 28—Ministry of Housing and Urban–Rural Development (MOHRUD); 30—China Disabled Persons’ Federation; 45—Ministry of Culture and Tourism
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Distribution of directions covered by dementia prevention and control policies
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. World Social Report 2023: Leaving No One Behind In An Ageing World. UN DESA Publications. Published January 12, 2023. Accessed 29 Aug 2023.
    1. Nichols E, Steinmetz JD, Vollset SE, et al. Estimation of the global prevalence of dementia in 2019 and forecasted prevalence in 2050: an analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet Public Health. 2022;7(2):e105–25. 10.1016/S2468-2667(21)00249-8. - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization. Global status report on the public health response to dementia. Published 2021.. https://www.who.int/publications-detail-redirect/9789240033245 Accessed 15 April 2023
    1. World Health Organization. Dementia: a public health priority. Published 2012. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/dementia-a-public-health-priority Accessed 15 April 2023.
    1. World Health Organization. Global action plan on the public health response to dementia 2017–2025. Published 2017.. https://www.who.int/publications-detail-redirect/9789241513487 Accessed 15 April 2023

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources