Alzheimer's Quick Test cognitive screening criteria for West African speakers of Krio.
OBJECTIVE
To obtain normative data for Alzheimer's Quick Test (AQT) measures of perceptual and cognitive speed from West African speakers of Krio.


METHODS
Normal adults, who were functionally independent, from Sierra Leone (n = 164) aged 25-79 years.


METHODS
Perceptual and cognitive speed were measured with AQT single- and dual-dimension colour-number (C-N) and colour-animal (C-A) naming tasks. Tests were administered individually in the participants' communities.


RESULTS
Men and women performed similarly (P>0.05), whereas literate speakers used significantly less time than preliterate peers (P<0.01). Correlations between age and colour naming were low (P<0.01) and speed decreased by <0.1 s per year. Dual-dimension naming remained stable across ages. Correlations with years of education were low for dual-dimension naming (P<0.01) and speed increased approximately 0.4 s per added year. Correlations between age and education and AQT naming were non-significant for literate participants. Criterion time cut-offs (seconds) for screening were developed for preliterate and literate speakers of Krio for typical (<+1 SD), slower-than-typical (between +1 and +2 SD) and atypical (>+2 SD) performance.


CONCLUSIONS
AQT C-N and C-A naming are time efficient (3-5 min each), objective and reliable and can be administered in Krio to West African adults in Africa, Europe or North America to screen for cognitive impairments and facilitate referral for medical workup.
Nielsen
Niels Peter
NP
Department of Psychiatry, Hvidovre Hospital, Vesterbrogade 31, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Wiig
Elisabeth H
EH
D000328:Adult; D000544:Alzheimer Disease; D044383:Black People; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012807:Sierra Leone