Abstract:
Background: As the elderly population and prevalence of dementia is increasing, it is necessary to have a better
comprehension of the influence of specific factors on cognitive function. Dementia is not an inevitable consequence
of ageing. Lifestyle factors might either increase or decrease the risk. Even though different studies have focused on
individual factors, only a few studies are available which assess all these factors as a whole. Available evidence on these
factors is mainly from high income countries and much less evidence is available from low and middle income
countries. As cognition is critical for elderly people to engage in a physically independent life, we aimed to
identify the associated factors of cognition.
Methods: This was a descriptive cross sectional study performed with 421 elderly people dwelling in residential
care facilities for the aged in two selected districts in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. Cognition was assessed
using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). Independent sample t test, ANOVA and regression analyses
were used to explore associated factors for cognition. The statistical significance was kept at bonferroni adjusted
p < 0.004.
Results: The study included elderly people with a mean age of 71.9 ± 6.7 years and of them 65.8% were females.
Factors affecting higher level of cognition were, having upper secondary, advanced and higher education; being
married; arriving at the facility on one’s own accord; being visited by family members; higher physical activity
levels and engaging in social and leisure activities (p < 0.004). The factors, namely physical activity level, educational
status, visits by family members and engaging in leisure activities were the predictors of cognition in the regression
model.
Conclusion: Though there were several factors that associated with the level of cognition such as educational status,
marital status, reason for attending the facility, visits by family members, physical activity levels and participation in
social and leisure activities, only the factors, such as physical activity levels, visits by family members, educational status
and engaging in leisure activities were the predictors of cognition.
