Exploring the impact of Cognitive Health Enhancing Behaviours, Subjective Cognitive Complaints, Fear of Dementia and Generalised Anxiety on Cognitive Function

There has been much interest recently in health behaviours that might reduce the risk of neurodegenerative illnesses that cause dementia. Examples of behaviours that potentially enhance (neuro)cognitive health include exercising, maintaining social connections, cognitive activity, and diet. This thesis explores how anxiety mediates the relationship between cognitive health enhancing behaviours and cognitive functioning in healthy adults. Part I is a systematic literature review examining the impact of psychosocial, cognitive training, and multidomain interventions on cognitive functioning. In total, 31 randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were included in this review. Part II presents a secondary analysis of data collected from a charity called Food for the Brain (FFB). Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to analyse whether different types of anxiety mediate the relationship between cognitive health enhancing behaviours and cognitive functioning. Exploratory analysis of longitudinal data collected at six, 12 and 24 months after baseline, investigated predictors of change in cognitive health enhancing behaviours over time. Part III is a critical appraisal that reflects on my experience of co-production and completing the systematic review for the APPLE-Tree project, methodological problems with the measures in the empirical study and the role that clinical psychology has in public health