What is the aim of this study?

The primary aim of this study is to determine whether our personalised, lifestyle intervention program is more effective than general education in slowing decline in memory & thinking function over 24-months.

What is expected of me if I agree to participate?

You will be asked to complete a series of questionnaires to determine whether you have any lifestyle risk factors for dementia. If at least one lifestyle risk factor has been identified, you will be eligible for the study. If selected, you will be required to complete a baseline assessment (comprising of questionnaires and memory & thinking tests). You will then be randomly allocated to receive either a personalised lifestyle intervention OR monthly educational material that will cover a range of topics (e.g., latest news in dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, general information about maintaining a health lifestyle). You will also be required to complete follow-up assessments at 12 and 24 months after your initial assessment.

How do you plan on using the information I provide you?

We will be using your information to answer our main question of interest: can a personalised lifestyle intervention slow the decline in memory & thinking function over 24-months when compared to only receiving educational material?

We will also use your information to answer a range of questions, such as whether a personalised lifestyle intervention can improve subjective ratings of memory & health, mood and quality of life. We are also interested in exploring whether genetic factors have a role to play in people’s response to the intervention. As this is one of the first clinical trials in dementia and Alzheimer’s disease to be delivered entirely online, we will be evaluating the utility of our trial design and platform to better inform future studies that may be conducted online.

How secure is my personal information? Where will my data be stored?

Your data will be stored at a secure data centre at the University of Melbourne, and all data will be securely encrypted before it is transported to and from your computer/mobile. The data will be securely handled by a small number of staff in the study who are required to conduct the experiment and to analyse the results.

For more information about how your data is collected and stored, please visit our Terms and Conditions page.

To view the website and app privacy statements, please visit our Privacy Statements page.

How are Monash University and the University of Melbourne involved in this trial?

The chief investigation team is comprised of researchers based at Monash University and the University of Melbourne. We have also partnered with the Melbourne eResearch Group (at the University of Melbourne) to build the online platform and smartphone app for the BetterBrains trial.

How can I contact you for more information?

Please send us an email at betterbrains@monash.edu

How do I sign up?

Recruitment for the BetterBrains trial has now ended. Thank you for the support!

If you’d like to be kept in the loop for future activities, please email betterbrains@monash.edu and we will be happy to add you to our mailing list.