title: Cognitive impairment among the elderly in a rural community in Malaysia.
abstract: Cognitive impairment is common in late life and may be due to the normal process of ageing or associated with physical or mental disorders. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of cognitive impairment among the elderly in a rural community setting. A cross sectional study design using stratified proportionate cluster sampling method was used in this study. A questionnaire similar to the Elderly Cognitive Assessment Questionnaire (ECAQ) was used as a screening instrument for cognitive impairment. The prevalence of cognitive impairment was 22.4% (50/223) among the elderly respondents. Cognitive impairment among the elderly was significantly associated with age, gender, ethnicity, marital status and level of education.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Sherina
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rampal
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mustaqim
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires