Association between cognitive impairment and socioeconomic and sociodemographic factors in Colombian older adults

Introduction

Worldwide, because of the demographic transition, the proportion of older adults has increased, which has been reflected in an increase in the prevalence of major neurocognitive disorder (MND). This phenomenon is especially important in low- and middle-income countries such as Colombia, given the high economic and social costs it entails. The objective was to analyse the association between socioeconomic variables with the presence of cognitive impairment in Colombian older adults.

Methods

The records of 23,694 adults over 60 years-of-age surveyed for SABE Colombia 2015, that took a stratified sample by conglomerates and were representative of the adult population over 60 years-of-age. This instrument assessed cognitive impairment using the abbreviated version of the Minimental (AMMSE) and collected information on multiple socioeconomic variables.

Results

19.7% of the older adults included in the survey were reviewed with cognitive impairment by presenting a score <13 in the AMMSE. There was a higher prevalence of cognitive impairment in women (21.5%) than in men (17.5%). The socioeconomic variables were shown to impact the prevalence of deterioration, especially being currently working (OR = 2.74; 95%CI, 2.43−3.09) as a risk factor and having attended primary school as a protective factor (OR = 0.30; 95%CI, 0.28−0.32), differentially according to gender.

Conclusions

An association between socioeconomic and sociodemographic factors with cognitive impairment in Colombian older adults was evidenced. Despite the above, a differential impact dependent on sex is suggested.