OBJECTIVESThis study aimed to identify the factors affecting the cognitive function of elderly people in a community by gender.METHODSWe obtained 4,878 secondary data of people aged ≥65 years in 2016 at a dementia prevention center in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon. Data were obtained through Mini-Mental Status Examination optimized for screening dementia and a questionnaire. The data were statistically analyzed using analysis of variance, analysis of covariance, and hierarchical regression.RESULTSThere were significant differences in cognitive function according to gender, and the differences were significant even when age was controlled, but gender differences disappeared when education was controlled. Age, education, social activities, number of comorbid diseases, and alcohol drinking affected cognitive function through interaction with gender, but interaction with gender disappeared when education was controlled. Regression analysis showed that depression, cohabitant, social activities etc., had a significant impact on both men and women under controlled education and age. In men, the effect of social activities was greater than that of women, and hyperlipidemia had the effect only in women.CONCLUSIONSThe differences in gender-related cognitive functions were due to differences in gender education period. The period of education is considered to have a great influence on cognitive function in relation to the economic level, occupation, and social activity.

Health providers should consider gender differences when they develop and deliver health promotion programs aimed at adolescents.

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This study was conducted to identify the effect of a multicomponent cognitive stimulation program (MCSP) on the improvement of older people's cognitive abilities. It also aimed to determine whether the effectiveness of the MCSP is related to age. Methods: A one-group pretest-posttest design was used. The program was conducted once a week for 10 weeks. The Korean-Montreal Cognitive Assessment (K-MoCA) was used to measure cognitive functions before and after the MCSP. Participants included 37 people aged over 65 years with normal cognitive functions and living in I city. A paired t-test was used to compare K-MoCA scores before and after the MCSP, and a two-way analysis of variance was performed to confirm whether there is an interaction between the MCSP and age. Results: It was found that the MCSP had a significant effect on improving cognitive functions (t ¼ À5.15, p < .001). Regarding the subdomains, visuospatial/executive ability, recall, naming, and language ability showed significant effects; however, abstractive abilitydwhich was not a focus of the programdshowed no significant effect. There were differences in visuospatial/executive functions, language skills, and memory between the 65-79 years age group and the aged over 80 group. Further, regarding the relationship between the MCSP and age, it was found that their interaction was significant only with regard to visuospatial/executive ability. Conclusion: The MCSP helps to improve the cognitive functions of the elderly; however, its effect differs between the young-old group and the old-old group. Therefore, age should be considered when developing MCSPs.

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