Prevalence and risks of mild cognitive impairment of Chinese community-dwelling women aged above 60 years: A cross-sectional study

• Published in: Archives of women's mental health 2021-12, Vol.24 (6), p.903-911
• Main Authors: Song, Mei, Wang, Yu-Mei, Wang, Ran, Xu, Shun-Jiang, Yu, Lu-Lu, Wang, Lan, Zhao, Xiao‑Chuan, Wang, Xue-Yi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged women; China - epidemiology; Cognition disorders; Cognitive ability; Cognitive Dysfunction - diagnosis; Cognitive Dysfunction - epidemiology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Demographic aspects; Educational attainment; Female; Health aspects; Health risks; Humans; Independent Living; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Menopause; Older people; Original Article; Personal income; Prevalence; Psychiatry; Psychological aspects; Psychotherapy; Risk factors; Sociodemographics; Statistics; Womens health
• ISSN: 1434-1816; 1435-1102; 1435-1102
• DOI: 10.1007/s00737-021-01137-0

Evidence has shown that risks of cognitive impairment differ between genders. This cross-sectional study sought to determine the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in Chinese community-dwelling women aged above 60 years and identify risks of MCI by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Totally, 1760 Chinese community-dwelling women entered the study. Cognitive function was assessed with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). MCI was diagnosed by Petersen’s criteria. Sociodemographic information, past medical conditions, and age at menopause were screened. The primary study outcome was prevalence of MCI. MCI was diagnosed in 378 (21.5%) women. Older age was a significant risk of MCI (OR 1.621, 95%CI 1.386–1.894; P < 0.001). Low education was associated a 4-fold increase in the risk of MCI (OR 4.036, 95%CI 3.168–5.142). Furthermore, current depression was associated with 2.6-fold increase in the risk of MCI (OR 2.618, 95%CI 1.499–4.587, P = 0.001). Moreover, frequent physical exercise and more leisure and social time activities were associated with significantly reduced risks of MCI, while poor financial status was associated with a significantly increased risk of MCI. Slightly more than 20% of Chinese women aged above 60 years had MCI, and independent risks included older age, low education status, and current depression, highlighting the importance of screening for and removing or minimizing risks of MCI in this specific population.