Prevalence of cognitive impairment and related risk factors in community-dwelling elderly in Kayseri, Turkey

Background/aim: The increased rate of elderly individuals in the general population leads to functional decline because of cognitive impairment (CImp). We aimed to detect the prevalence of CImp and related risk factors in community-dwelling elders living in an urban area (Kayseri, Turkey). Materials and methods: This is a cross-sectional, population-based study conducted in a sample of 900 community-dwelling elders aged 60 years and older. Cognitive status and depressive symptoms were assessed by standardized Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), respectively. Results: The mean age of the participants was 71.6 +/- 0.18 years, of whom 47.9% were female. Prevalences of CImp and depressive symptoms were 26.1% and 24.9%, respectively. Female sex, illiteracy, low income, increased age, being a housewife, being a nonsmoker, being depressive, being single, and having more than four children were significantly related with CImp based on univariate logistic regression analysis. However, in multivariate logistic regression analysis, it was found that being illiterate, being depressive, and having an increased number of children were determinants of CImp in the elderly. Self-reported chronic diseases were not detected as risk factors for CImp. Conclusion: Increasing socioeconomic status and education levels and preventing depression should be accepted as primary protective measures for CImp.