Objective: This study was aimed to determine the prevalence and predictors of mild cognitive impairments (MCIs) in Malaysia.
Method: This is a cross-sectional community-based study among elderlies aged 60 years and above in the four states of Malaysia - Perak, Kelantan, Selangor and Johor. A multi-stage stratified random sampling method was used for the data collection. Mini Mental State Examination score ?22 was used to diagnosed MCI and analyzed by using multivariate logistic regression.
Results: A total of 2112 participants were recruited into this study. Mean age of the participants was 69.2±18.8 years, and 51.4% of them were females. The ethnic distribution was 63.4% Malaysian, 31.4% Chinese, 5.0% Indians, and 0.2% others. The overall prevalence of MCI was 68% (n=1436/2112). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, participant who were older (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.00-1.04), did not receive formal education (OR 6.85, 95% CI 4.58-10.25), had primary education (OR 2.35 95% CI 1.84-3.00), were lonely (OR 1.18 95% CI 1.05-1.32), and had low level of life satisfaction (OR 1.68 95% CI 1.02-2.67), had significant positive correlations with MCI.
Conclusion: MCI is present in seven out of ten elderly Malaysians. Aging population, presence of low education level, loneliness and low life satisfaction level seem to facilitate development of MCI.
Key words: Aging, cognitive impairment, dementia, elderly, Malaysia, prevalence
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