Introduction
Brain health—how well one thinks, learns, and remembers—is a critical part of healthy aging. Growing evidence suggests that there are numerous ways adults can help maintain their brain health as they age.
The National Poll on Healthy Aging partnered with the Alzheimer’s Association to survey a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults age 40 and older regarding brain health. Completed in January 2026, this survey asked about knowledge and awareness of brain health and behaviors contributing to it, current engagement in brain-healthy habits, and interest in brain health resources and programs. A special report that complemented the Alzheimer’s Association’s annual Alzheimer’s Disease Facts & Figures publication detailed results from this national poll.
In this Michigan Poll on Healthy Aging report, we share results from a representative sample of adults age 50 and older in Michigan who participated in the brain health survey. This report summarizes older Michiganders’ perceptions of brain health, perceived importance of lifestyle behaviors for brain health, current engagement in lifestyle behaviors, and use of health care to support brain health, with comparisons to national findings of adults age 50 and older when available.
Key Findings
Perceptions of brain health
The vast majority of Michigan adults age 50 and older (92%) rated their own brain health as excellent, very good, or good, with 8% rating their brain health as fair or poor. Adults age 50-64 were more likely than those 65 and above to rate their current brain health as fair or poor (11% age 50-64 vs. 5% age 65+).
Overall, 86% of Michigan adults said it is very important to maintain brain health as they age, with over 99% saying brain health is equally or more important than physical health (12% said brain health is more important).
Yet only 10% of Michigan adults age 50 and over said they know a lot about ways to maintain brain health.
Perceived importance of lifestyle behaviors for brain health
Overall, 70% of Michigan adults age 50 and older believed lifestyle behaviors (e.g., diet, physical activity, and sleep) are very important in maintaining brain health as we age, with 47% saying such behaviors were also very important for reducing risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. Residents of Northern Michigan were less likely than those in other regions of Michigan to believe that lifestyle behaviors are very important for reducing dementia risk (38% vs. 48% or more in other regions; see map of regions).
When asked about specific behaviors, a majority of Michigan adults age 50 and older endorsed a wide range of lifestyle behaviors as very important for maintaining brain health as one ages, including:
- protecting against head injury (80%)
- managing stress (71%)
- treating depression (71%)
- not smoking (71%)
- controlling blood pressure (70%)
- sleeping 7+ hours per night (68%)
- avoiding falls (68%)
- doing mentally stimulating activities (65%)
- eating a healthy, balanced diet (62%)
- getting physical exercise (61%)
- socializing with others (59%)
- limiting alcohol consumption (58%)
- maintaining a healthy weight (57%)
- managing cholesterol (54%)
- addressing hearing loss (53%)
Current engagement in brain health lifestyle behaviors
The poll asked Michiganders age 50 and over about their regular engagement in a subset of lifestyle behaviors that previous research has linked to brain health: sleep, diet, physical exercise, and mentally stimulating activities. Engagement in these behaviors varied, with sleeping for at least 7 hours per night the most common routine practice (54% daily or most days), followed by doing mentally stimulating activities (e.g., puzzles/brain teasers, learning new skills) (48% daily or most days), and eating a healthy, balanced diet (e.g., whole foods, vegetables, low sugar) (40% daily or most days). Getting physical exercise (e.g., walking, stretching/yoga, aerobic workouts) was the least common (36% daily or most days).
Among Michigan adults age 50 and older who reported engaging in these activities at least weekly, maintaining brain health was endorsed as a prominent motivator; across all four lifestyle behaviors, over 80% of adults said maintaining brain health motivated their behavior some or a lot.
Preferred sources of information for learning about brain health
When asked about information sources from which they would like to learn more about brain health (e.g., articles, webinars, podcasts), Michigan adults age 50 and older said that their healthcare provider was their most preferred source (73%, as compared to 5-46% for all other sources).
Among older Michiganders interested in learning more about brain health from their healthcare provider, 84% said they would most prefer to receive brain health education during an annual exam with their provider, even if they were not experiencing cognitive concerns. Fewer said they would want brain health education after a cognitive screening shows memory and thinking problems (35%), in a healthcare visit devoted just to discussing brain health (34%), through an information session offered by their health system or healthcare provider (32%), from a patient portal communication (e.g., questionnaire or pamphlet) (29%), or after being diagnosed with dementia (16%).
Use of healthcare to support brain health
Yet only 23% of Michigan adults age 50 and older said they had ever discussed ways to maintain brain health with a healthcare provider. And among Michigan adults age 65 and older, 30% said they had undergone cognitive screening in the past year.
Differences between Michiganders and the rest of the U.S.
Overall, findings from the Michigan sample were highly consistent with those in the national sample of U.S. adults age 50 and above. Some notable exceptions were that Michigan adults were slightly less likely than their national counterparts to believe that lifestyle behaviors are very important for maintaining brain health (70% in Michigan vs. 76% in the rest of the U.S.), but more likely to report weekly engagement in mentally stimulating activities like puzzles or brain teasers (75% in Michigan vs. 71% in the rest of the U.S.).
Explore more findings through this interactive data dashboard.
Implications for practice and policy
Poll findings indicate that Michigan adults age 50 and older view brain health as a critical component of healthy aging. For many, brain health is seen as even more important than their physical health. Despite its importance, few adults age 50 and above in Michigan reported knowing a lot about ways to maintain brain health as they age. This is perhaps not surprising given that the science on the usefulness of lifestyle behaviors for cognitive health and dementia risk reduction is still emerging, and health behavior recommendations are less clear cut for conditions like Alzheimer’s disease as compared to other common later-life conditions like cancer or heart disease. Nevertheless, there is now direct evidence for brain health benefits from a wide range of behaviors, including regular physical activity, healthy sleep and diet habits, and social and mental engagement.
Results from this statewide poll also reveal regional differences regarding beliefs about the connection between lifestyle behaviors and brain health, underscoring the need for tailored education and outreach strategies that consider communities’ unique needs.
Michigan Poll on Healthy Aging findings also suggest that few older adults are talking with their healthcare providers about brain health and would welcome more opportunities to discuss strategies for promoting brain health and reducing dementia risk. Currently such discussions and cognitive screening are relatively uncommon, even among those age 65 and above.
All in all, there is great interest in maintaining brain health among Michigan adults age 50 and older. Michigan’s healthcare systems and providers can help educate this population about the connection between lifestyle behaviors and brain health and support older Michiganders in taking steps to maintain their brain health.
About the Poll
The National Poll on Healthy Aging is a nationally representative survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. The survey was administered online and via phone in January 2026. The Michigan Poll on Healthy Aging includes data from 1,293 Michigan adults age 50 to 93 from the NORC AmeriSpeak panel and supplemental non-probability panel participants, who were compared to 2,808 non-Michigan adults age 50 to 98.
Citation
University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging Team. Brain Health Views and Experiences among Michigan Adults Age 50+. Michigan Poll on Healthy Aging. June 2026. Available at https://michmed.org/wdPAx
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June 2026
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