Research needed into how contact sport leads to dementia

A leading biostatician is calling for more research into how contact sport can lead to dementia later in life. It comes after former footballer Sir Bobby Charlton became the fifth member of England's 1966 World Cup winning team to be diagnosed with the condition. Similar rates of dementia have been observed in sports teams here in New Zealand, including in five members of the same 1964 Taranaki rugby team. Professor of Biostatistics at Auckland University of Technology Thomas Lumley spoke to our reporter Louise Ternouth about this concerning trend.