{"title":"Factors Associated with Cognitive Impairment among Adults of 55 Years and Older in Cameroon.","authors":"Nadine Simo-Tabue, Mélanie Annick Magnerou, Ludwig Mounsamy, Salvatore Metamno, Laurys Letchimy, Jean-François Dartigues, Callixte Kuate-Tegueu, Maturin Tabué-Teguo","doi":"10.1159/000542305","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Cognitive impairment is a major cause of dependency in older people. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with severe cognitive decline, as assessed by the mini-mental state examination (MMSE), in community-dwelling adults aged 55+ in Cameroon.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Data are from a cross-sectional survey carried out in Cameroon. The cognitive status was assessed using the MMSE and a score of 18/30 or lower is considered as a proxy of severe cognitive decline.</p><p><strong>Result: </strong>A total of 403 adults participated in the study. Of these, 16 (3.9%) had an MMSE score <18 and were considered to have cognitive impairment. The rate of severe cognitive decline increased with rising age, from 2.1% in those aged 55-64 years, to 3.3% in those aged 65-74, and 11% in those aged 75 and older. The factors associated with cognitive impairment (MMSE score <18) by multivariate analysis in our population are level of education (OR 0.10 [95% CI: 0.02-0.37], <i>p</i> < 0.01), body mass index (BMI) (OR 0.88 [95% CI: 0.78-0.99], <i>p</i> = 0.03), and IADL score (OR 0.12 [95% CI: 0.03-0.38], <i>p</i> < 0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The three main factors associated with cognitive impairment were education, IADL (Instrumental Activity of Daily Living) dependency, and BMI. This study shows that among older people in sub-Saharan Africa, the effect of BMI, IADL dependency, and education on cognitive function appears similar to that observed in middle- and high-income countries.</p>","PeriodicalId":38017,"journal":{"name":"Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra","volume":"15 1","pages":"30-36"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11908806/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1159/000542305","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"CLINICAL NEUROLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Introduction: Cognitive impairment is a major cause of dependency in older people. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with severe cognitive decline, as assessed by the mini-mental state examination (MMSE), in community-dwelling adults aged 55+ in Cameroon.
Method: Data are from a cross-sectional survey carried out in Cameroon. The cognitive status was assessed using the MMSE and a score of 18/30 or lower is considered as a proxy of severe cognitive decline.
Result: A total of 403 adults participated in the study. Of these, 16 (3.9%) had an MMSE score <18 and were considered to have cognitive impairment. The rate of severe cognitive decline increased with rising age, from 2.1% in those aged 55-64 years, to 3.3% in those aged 65-74, and 11% in those aged 75 and older. The factors associated with cognitive impairment (MMSE score <18) by multivariate analysis in our population are level of education (OR 0.10 [95% CI: 0.02-0.37], p < 0.01), body mass index (BMI) (OR 0.88 [95% CI: 0.78-0.99], p = 0.03), and IADL score (OR 0.12 [95% CI: 0.03-0.38], p < 0.001).
Conclusion: The three main factors associated with cognitive impairment were education, IADL (Instrumental Activity of Daily Living) dependency, and BMI. This study shows that among older people in sub-Saharan Africa, the effect of BMI, IADL dependency, and education on cognitive function appears similar to that observed in middle- and high-income countries.
期刊介绍:
This open access and online-only journal publishes original articles covering the entire spectrum of cognitive dysfunction such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s chorea and other neurodegenerative diseases. The journal draws from diverse related research disciplines such as psychogeriatrics, neuropsychology, clinical neurology, morphology, physiology, genetic molecular biology, pathology, biochemistry, immunology, pharmacology and pharmaceutics. Strong emphasis is placed on the publication of research findings from animal studies which are complemented by clinical and therapeutic experience to give an overall appreciation of the field. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra provides additional contents based on reviewed and accepted submissions to the main journal Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra .