AgeWell study
The BMBF intervention study started in summer 2018 and is investigating how Alzheimer's dementia can be prevented. Older patients with a proven increased risk of Alzheimer's dementia are to benefit from a wide-ranging program to strengthen their body, mind and psyche.
The program includes professional nutritional advice, internet-based brain training, an exercise program for muscle strengthening and endurance training as well as a structured medication plan.
AgeWell.de (joint project AgeWell.de - a multicentre cluster-randomized controlled multicomponent intervention study on the prevention of cognitive decline in older GP patients - Munich subproject) is a joint project of the Institutes of General Medicine at the Universities of Munich, Leipzig, Halle, Greifswald, Kiel, Hamburg and Heidelberg, among others, and is coordinated by Prof. Dr. Steffi Riedl-Heller from the Institute of Social Medicine, Occupational Medicine and Public Health at the University of Leipzig.
- Beyer F, Kleine L, Zülke A, Luppa M, Mildner T, Gensichen J, Frese T, Czock D, Wiese B, König H-H, Kaduszkiewicz H, Hoffmann W, Thyrian JR, Villringer A, Riedel-Heller S, Witte V. Exploring the effect of multi-modal intervention against cognitive decline on atrophy and small vessel disease imaging markers in the AgeWell.de imaging study. Neuroimage Clin. 2025;46:103796. doi: 10.1016/j.nicl.2025.103796.
- Blotenberg I, Zülke AE, Luppa M, Wittmann F, Fankhänel T, Weise S, Döhring J, Escales C, Kosilek RP, Michel I, Brettschneider C, Oey A, Wiese B, Gensichen J, König HH, Frese T, Kaduszkiewicz H, Hoffmann W, Riedel-Heller SG, Thyrian R. Factors associated with a healthy diet and willingness to change dietary behavior in older adults at increased risk of dementia. J Alzheimers Dis. 2025 Apr 15:13872877251330296. doi: 10.1177/13872877251330296.
- Wittmann FG, Pabst A, Zülke A, Luppa M, Cardona MI, Boekholt M, Fankhänel T, Weise S, Kosilek RP, Sanftenberg L, Brettschneider C, Döhring J, Williamson M, Wiese B, Thyrian JR, Hoffmann W, Gensichen J, König HH, Kaduszkiewicz H, Frese T, Riedel-Heller SG. Adherence to intervention components: The key to success? Analysis on health-related outcomes of the AgeWell.de intervention to preserve cognition. J Alzheimers Dis. 2025 Mar;104(1):245-254. doi: 10.1177/13872877251314892.
- Brettschneider C, Buczak-Stec E, Luppa M, Zülke A, Michalowsky B, Rädke A, Bauer A, Brütting C, Kosilek RP, Zöllinger I, Döhring J, Williamson M, Wiese B, Hoffmann W, Frese T, Gensichen J, Kaduszkiewicz H, Thyrian JR, Riedel-Heller SG, König HH; AGEWELL.DE study group. Cost-effectiveness of a multicomponent intervention against cognitive decline. Alzheimers Dement (N Y). 2025 Jan 3;11(1):e70028. doi: 10.1002/trc2.70028.
- Zülke AE, Blotenberg I, Luppa M, Löbner M, Döhring J, Williamson M, Kosilek RP, Michel I, Oey A, Brettschneider C, Gensichen J, Czock D, Wiese B, König HH, Frese T, Kaduszkiewicz H, Hoffmann W, Thyrian R, Riedel-Heller SG. Dietary changes following a lifestyle-based intervention for dementia risk reduction - results from the AgeWell.de study. Eur J Nutr. 2024 Dec 30;64(1):58. doi: 10.1007/s00394-024-03563-z.
- Buß AM, Wittmann FG, Pabst A, Luppa M, Oey A, Blotenberg I, Cardona MI, Weise S, Bauer A, Kosilek RP, Bader F, Brettschneider C, Wiese B, Hoffmann W, Frese T, Gensichen JS, König HH, Thyrian JR, Riedel-Heller SG. Social participation and cognitive activities as explanation factor for the association between income and self-rated health for older adults. Front Public Health. 2024 Nov 28;12:1435945. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1435945.
- Kosilek RP, Wendel F, Zöllinger I, Knecht HL, Blotenberg I, Weise S, Fankhänel T, Döhring J, Williamson M, Luppa M, Zülke AE, Brettschneider C, Wiese B, Hoffmann W, Frese T, König HH, Kaduszkiewicz H, Thyrian JR, Riedel-Heller SG, Gensichen J. Quality over quantity - rethinking social participation in dementia prevention: results from the AgeWell.de trial. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2024 Sep 9. doi: 10.1007/s00127-024-02757-4.
- Claus M, Luppa M, Zülke A, Blotenberg I, Cardona MI, Döhring J, Escales C, Kosilek RP, Oey A, Zöllinger I, Brettschneider C, Czock D, Frese T, Gensichen J, Hoffmann W, Kaduszkiewicz H, König HH, Wiese B, Thyrian JR, Riedel-Heller SG. Potential for reducing dementia risk: association of the CAIDE score with additional lifestyle components from the LIBRA score in a population at high risk of dementia. Aging Ment Health. 2025 Mar;29(3):400-407. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2024.2394591.
- Kappe J, Wittmann F, Luppa M, Cardona MI, Weise S, Fuchs S, Kosilek RP, Sanftenberg L, Brettschneider C, Döhring J, Escales C, Czock D, Wiese B, Thyrian JR, Hoffmann W, Frese T, Gensichen J, König HH, Kaduszkiewicz H, Riedel-Heller SG. General practitioners' perspectives on lifestyle interventions for cognitive preservation in dementia prevention. BMC Prim Care. 2024 Aug 14;25(1):301. doi: 10.1186/s12875-024-02566-3.
- Zülke AE, Pabst A, Luppa M, Oey A, Weise S, Fankhänel T, Kosilek RP, Schillok H, Brettschneider C, Czock D, Wiese B, Thyrian JR, Hoffmann W, Frese T, Gensichen J, König HH, Kaduszkiewicz H, Riedel-Heller SG. Effects of a multidomain intervention against cognitive decline on dementia risk profiles - Results from the AgeWell.de trial. Alzheimers Dement. 2024 Aug;20(8):5684-5694. doi: 10.1002/alz.14097.
- Wittmann FG, Pabst A, Zülke A, Luppa M, Oey A, Boekholt M, Weise S, Fankhänel T, Kosilek RP, Brettschneider C, Döhring J, Lunden L, Wiese B, Hoffmann W, Frese T, Gensichen J, König HH, Kaduszkiewicz H, Thyrian JR, Riedel-Heller SG. Adherence to a lifestyle intervention - just a question of self-efficacy? Analysis of the AgeWell.de-intervention against cognitive decline. Alzheimers Res Ther. 2024 Jun 22;16(1):133. doi: 10.1186/s13195-024-01499-4.
- Döhring J, Williamson M, Brettschneider C, Fankhänel T, Luppa M, Pabst A, Weißenborn M, Zöllinger I, Czock D, Frese T, Gensichen J, Hoffmann W, König HH, Thyrian JR, Wiese B, Riedel-Heller S, Kaduszkiewicz H. Quality of life in a high-risk group of elderly primary care patients: characteristics and potential for improvement. Qual Life Res. 2024 Jul;33(7):1841-1851. doi: 10.1007/s11136-024-03647-7.
- Buchholz M, Zöllinger I, Thyrian JR, Luppa M, Zülke A, Döhring J, Lunden L, Sanftenberg L, Brettschneider C, Czock D, Frese T, Gensichen J, Hoffmann W, Kaduszkiewicz H, König HH, Wiese B, Riedel-Heller SG, Blotenberg I. Factors Associated with Lower Social Activity in German Older Adults at Increased Risk of Dementia: A Cross-Sectional Analysis. J Alzheimers Dis. 2024;98(4):1443-1455. doi: 10.3233/JAD-231226.
- Wittmann FG, Pabst A, Zülke A, Luppa M, Blotenberg I, Cardona MI, Bauer A, Fuchs S, Zöllinger I, Sanftenberg L, Brettschneider C, Döhring J, Lunden L, Czock D, Wiese B, Thyrian JR, Hoffmann W, Frese T, Gensichen J, König HH, Kaduszkiewicz H, Riedel-Heller SG. Who Benefited the Most? Effectiveness of a Lifestyle Intervention Against Cognitive Decline in Older Women and Men - Secondary Analysis of the AgeWell.de-trial. J Prev Alzheimers Dis. 2024;11(2):348-355. doi: 10.14283/jpad.2024.13.
- Zülke AE, Pabst A, Luppa M, Roehr S, Seidling H, Oey A, Cardona MI, Blotenberg I, Bauer A, Weise S, Zöllinger I, Sanftenberg L, Brettschneider C, Döhring J, Lunden L, Czock D, Haefeli WE, Wiese B, Hoffmann W, Frese T, Gensichen J, König HH, Kaduszkiewicz H, Thyrian JR, Riedel-Heller SG. A multidomain intervention against cognitive decline in an at-risk-population in Germany: Results from the cluster-randomized AgeWell.de trial. Alzheimers Dement. 2024 Jan;20(1):615-628. doi: 10.1002/alz.13486.
- Zöllinger I, Bauer A, Blotenberg I, Brettschneider C, Buchholz M, Czock D, Döhring J, Escales C, Fankhaenel T, Frese T, Hoffmann W, Kaduszkiewicz H, König HH, Luppa M, Oey A, Pabst A, Sanftenberg L, Thyrian JR, Weiss J, Wendel F, Wiese B, Riedel-Heller SG, Gensichen J. Associations of Depressive Symptoms with Subjective Cognitive Decline in Elderly People-A Cross-Sectional Analysis from the AgeWell.de-Study. J Clin Med. 2023 Aug 10;12(16):5205. doi: 10.3390/jcm12165205.
- Wittmann FG, Zülke A, Pabst A, Luppa M, Thyrian JR, Kästner A, Hoffmann W, Kaduszkiewicz H, Döhring J, Escales C, Gensichen J, Zöllinger I, Kosilek RP, Wiese B, Oey A, König HH, Brettschneider C, Frese T, Riedel-Heller SG. COVID-19 government measures and their impact on mental health: a cross-sectional study of older primary care patients in Germany. Front Public Health. 2023 May 22;11:1141433. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1141433.
- Wendel F, Bauer A, Blotenberg I, Brettschneider C, Buchholz M, Czock D, Döhring J, Escales C, Frese T, Hoffmann W, Kaduszkiewicz H, König HH, Löbner M, Luppa M, Schwenker R, Thyrian JR, Weißenborn M, Wiese B, Zöllinger I, Riedel-Heller SG, Gensichen J. Social Network and Participation in Elderly Primary Care Patients in Germany and Associations with Depressive Symptoms-A Cross-Sectional Analysis from the AgeWell.de Study. J Clin Med. 2022 Oct 8;11(19):5940. doi: 10.3390/jcm11195940.
- Cardona MI, Weißenborn M, Zöllinger I, Kroeber ES, Bauer A, Luppa M, Pabst A, Czock D, König HH, Wiese B, Gensichen J, Frese T, Kaduszkiewicz H, Hoffmann W, Riedel-Heller SG, Thyrian JR. Physical Activity Determinants in Older German Adults at Increased Dementia Risk with Multimorbidity: Baseline Results of the AgeWell.de Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Mar 8;19(6):3164. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19063164.
- Zülke AE, Luppa M, Röhr S, Weißenborn M, Bauer A, Samos FZ, Kühne F, Zöllinger I, Döhring J, Brettschneider C, Oey A, Czock D, Frese T, Gensichen J, Haefeli WE, Hoffmann W, Kaduszkiewicz H, König HH, Thyrian JR, Wiese B, Riedel-Heller SG. Association of mental demands in the workplace with cognitive function in older adults at increased risk for dementia. BMC Geriatr. 2021 Dec 10;21(1):688. doi: 10.1186/s12877-021-02653-5.
- Röhr S, Zülke A, Luppa M, Brettschneider C, Weißenborn M, Kühne F, Zöllinger I, Samos FZ, Bauer A, Döhring J, Krebs-Hein K, Oey A, Czock D, Frese T, Gensichen J, Haefeli WE, Hoffmann W, Kaduszkiewicz H, König HH, Thyrian JR, Wiese B, Riedel-Heller SG. Recruitment and Baseline Characteristics of Participants in the AgeWell.de Study-A Pragmatic Cluster-Randomized Controlled Lifestyle Trial against Cognitive Decline. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jan 7;18(2):408. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18020408.
- Zülke A, Luck T, Pabst A, Hoffmann W, Thyrian JR, Gensichen J, Kaduszkiewicz H, König HH, Haefeli WE, Czock D, Wiese B, Frese T, Röhr S, Riedel-Heller SG. AgeWell.de - study protocol of a pragmatic multi-center cluster-randomized controlled prevention trial against cognitive decline in older primary care patients. BMC Geriatr. 2019 Aug 1;19(1):203. doi: 10.1186/s12877-019-1212-1.
