Prevalence and Predictors of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Xi’an: A Community-Based Study among the Elders

Abstract

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an intermediate stage between normal cognitive function and dementia among aging individuals. This study was designed to estimate the prevalence of MCI and explore the possible risk factors including gender disparities among community-dwelling older individuals. The study was conducted in Xi’an, China. This is a cross-sectional study. A total of 815 individuals, 60 years and older were selected by stratified random cluster sampling. Cognitive function was measured using the mini-mental status examination (MMSE), the Chinese version of the Dementia Rating Scales (CDRS) was used to apply the diagnostic of non-dementia, and activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) systems were used to functional status. The association between sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle, history of chronic diseases and MCI were evaluated separately for men and women using the Pearson χ2- test and binary logistic regression. Of the 815 community-dwelling individuals, 145 were found to have MCI. Overall, the prevalence of MCI was 18.5%, with a prevalence of 19.6% in women (105/535), and 15.3% (40/261) in men. The results of the binary logistical regression analysis indicated that age and history of stroke were associated with MCI in men. For women, the risk factors were lower level of educational and lack of religious attendance. Results suggested that the factors capable of influencing MCI differed profoundly between older men and older women. For this reason, different preventative measures should be adopted to delay or reverse cognitive impairment among community-dwelling older men and women.

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“…Our study observed that subjects who achieved secondary and tertiary education had lower risk of cognitive impairment. This finding is consistent with a number of other studies which showed that people with primary school education had higher risk to develop cognitive impairment 18,19 . This implies that every country should take appropriate measures to prevent school drop-outs and promote higher education by providing free education at least up to secondary level.…”

“…Studies have reported that moderate alcohol intake have protective effect on cognitive function 19,22,25 . However, the percentage of subjects who consumed alcohol in our study was minimal (7.4%), so no conclusion could be drawn.…”

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