Cognitive impairment in older people living in the community

To investigate the prevalence and severity of cognitive impairment among older people living in the community in Cebu City, the Philippines.

The cognitive function of 120 older people living in the community was assessed using the mini-mental state examination translated into the Cebuano language. Details of age, gender, education level and number of health problems were noted for all participants.

On average, participants had mild cognitive impairment. Cognitive status differed significantly when participants were grouped according to age, education level and number of concurrent health problems. The male participants were less likely (odds ratio (OR) =0.34, P=0.02; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.134, 0.840) to have mild cognitive impairment than no cognitive impairment. Participants aged 75 and older were more likely (OR=1.42, P=0.003; 95% CI 1.131, 1.789) to have moderate or severe cognitive impairment than no cognitive impairment.

Cognitive decline was more prevalent in older participants. Implementation of cost-effective, early detection and interventions in primary care is needed to prevent the potential debilitating effects of cognitive impairment.