Cognitive impairment and associated factors among mature and older adults living in the community of Gondar town, Ethiopia, 2020

Abstract

Cognitive impairment and dementia are age-related major public health concerns in the elderly population. It is a major cause of disability, dependency, and poor quality of life. However, in Ethiopia, the magnitude of this cognitive impairment among the elderly community was not investigated. Hence, this study sought to determine the prevalence of cognitive impairment and associated factors among mature and older adults living in the community of Gondar town, Ethiopia, in 2020. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Gondar town, from February 20 to April 30, 2020. Using a single-stage cluster sampling technique, 403 study participants were recruited. Data was collected by a pretested interviewer-administered structured questionnaire which consisting of sociodemographic variables, the Oslo Social Support Scale, and a Standardized Mini-mental State Examination (SMMSE) tool. Epi data version 3.0 was used to enter coded data and then exported into STATA 14 for analysis. Variables with a p-value < 0.25 in the bi-variable logistic regression were included in the multivariable regression. From multivariable logistic regression, variables having a p-value ≤ 0.05 were declared as statistically significant variables. In this study, a total of 403 study participants were involved, and 393 (97.5%) of them completed the survey. Among older participants screened for cognitive impairment, 43.8% was positive for cognitive impairment with a 95% CI (38.8–48.7%). The majority of the participants were (57.5%) male and (44.8%) aged over 60 years. After adjustment, the variables associated with cognitive impairment were age ≥ 75 years [odds ratio (OR) = 7.03, 95% CI 2.78–17.77] and between 61 and 74 years [OR = 3.18, 95% CI 1.81–5.59], and unable to read and write [OR = 5.05, 95% CI 2.04–12.50], low income level [OR = 2.60, 95% CI 1.26–5.20], being female [OR = 2.52, 95% CI 1.50–4.26], poor social support [OR = 2.50, 95% CI 1.30–4.81], and rural residence [OR = 2.39, 95% CI 1.26–4.51]. The prevalence of older participants who screened positively for cognitive impairment was high at Gondar town. The independent predictors of cognitive impairment among older individuals were older age, being unable to read and write, being female, low income, poor social support, and rural dwelling. Therefore, routine screening and social support, as well as free healthcare services for the mature and older community, are needed. Moreover, we strongly recommend the next researcher to use a diagnosis tool to estimate the actual prevalence of the problems among older people.

Cognitive Impairment and Its Associated Determinants Among the Elderly Population of Telangana, India: An Analytical Prevalence Study

“…We found that CI (in any form) had a prevalence of 91.7%, with 28.6% of participants exhibiting severe CI. Our study found a higher prevalence of CI compared to studies conducted elsewhere, which reported a prevalence ranging from 4.5% to 71.9% [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. The higher prevalence in our study can be ascribed to the study group's profile, with all participants ≥65 years of age, ranging from 65 to 95 years.…”

“…Illiteracy and depression were positively associated with higher forms of CI, whereas living in urban areas, living with spouses, and not consuming alcohol were found to be negatively associated with higher forms of CI. Illiteracy has been reported as an important risk factor associated with CI in studies conducted in multiple settings across the world [15][16][17]20,21,24,25]. The plausibility of illiteracy as a risk factor for CI can be explained by the fact that education is an important aspect of cognitive functioning.…”

The need for a tailored national dementia plan in Ethiopia: A call for action

“…According to the published document from the ministry, the estimated prevalence of dementia in Ethiopia is highly under estimated at 2.4% (15). Contrary to this, Gela et al (16), reported out of 403 older individuals screened for cognitive impairment, 43.8% of them fulfilled criteria for cognitive impairment. The authors further reported, being older age, unable to read and write, female gender, low income, poor social support, and rural dwelling were an independent predictor of cognitive impairment.…”

Association between cardiovascular risk factors and cognitive impairment in adults aged 60 years or older from Chile: a cross-sectional study

“…The CNHS included 6233 participants aged ≥ 15 years and used a stratified and multistage selection of participants. In our study, we eliminated participants between 15 and 59 years of age (n = 4202) due to: (1) difference of prevalence of objective cognitive function compared with people aged ≥ 60 years; (2) CI being a major public health concern in the elderly population; (3) I being a major cause of disability, dependency, and poor quality of life [ 21 ]. Participants with missing data on cardiovascular risk factors and CI were eliminated (n = 770).…”