Intrinsic motivation is critical for dementia prevention but remains poorly understood. A total of 347 middle-aged adults completed questionnaires on intrinsic factors for dementia prevention, demogra Show more
Intrinsic motivation is critical for dementia prevention but remains poorly understood. A total of 347 middle-aged adults completed questionnaires on intrinsic factors for dementia prevention, demographics, dementia risk, and healthy lifestyle behaviors. Latent profile analysis (LPA) grouped participants with similar intrinsic patterns. Subgroup differences in demographics, extrinsic factors, and healthy behaviors were examined. LPA identified four intrinsic profiles: Profile 1 had low motivation; Profile 2 had high motivation and self-efficacy, but poor dementia knowledge; Profile 3 had moderate motivation; and Profile 4 had low motivation and high apathy. Subsequent analyses showed that profiles further differed on extrinsic factors, demographic characteristics, and engagement in health behaviors. Specifically, Profile 1 had the lowest dementia risk, best sleep quality, and least loneliness; Profile 2 had the highest income, greater dementia risk, highest cognitive activity, and greatest loneliness; Profile 3 had more caregiving experience and moderate engagement in all healthy behaviors; and Profile 4 had lower incomes, the worst health, and lowest engagement in all healthy behaviors. Results identified groups of middle-aged adults with distinct intrinsic patterns who also differed in demographic/extrinsic factors and health behaviors. These profiles may benefit from different types of intervention strategies for dementia prevention. Show less