A UK study suggests that staying in school until 16 may reduce dementia risk, using a 1972 reform as a natural experiment.
Education and dementia risk
A study published online by PNAS on October 23, 2026, found that adolescents in England, Scotland, and Wales who were required to stay in school until age 16 had a reduced risk of dementia later in life.Nuanced findings
The study suggests that education may have a protective effect against Alzheimer's and related dementias, but it does not guarantee that an extra year of schooling will prevent dementia in any individual.Reform background
The research is based on the ROSLA reform, which raised the minimum age for compulsory schooling completion from 15 to 16 years in England, Scotland, and Wales in 1972.Natural experiment setup
The reform created a "natural experiment" by affecting people born on or after September 1, 1957, who had to stay in school until age 16, while those born before August 31, 1957, could leave at 15.Data and analysis
The study used data from the UK Biobank, analyzing up to 107,200 participants to examine the impact of the schooling reform on dementia risk.
