NGHIÊN CỨU ĐẶC ĐIỂM VÀ SỰ KHÁC BIỆT GIỮA CÁC NHÓM CHỨC NĂNG NHẬN THỨC Ở NGƯỜI CAO TUỔI: PHÂN TÍCH THỨ CẤP TRÊN DỮ LIỆU LỚN CỦA HÀN QUỐC

Abstract

Background: Cognitive impairment and dementia are growing public health problems among older adults, significantly affecting quality of life and healthcare burden. Identifying associated factors is essential for prevention strategies. Objectives: To describe demographic and clinical characteristics and differences between cognitive impairment groups among the elderly in South Korea. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study of 10,041 older adults from the first wave of the KLoSA dataset. Cognitive status was assessed using the K-MMSE and classified as normal cognition (≥24), cognitive impairment (19–23), and dementia (≤18). Group comparisons were performed. Results: The mean age of participants was 61.57 ± 11.00 years, and 56.4% were female. The mean BMI was 23.23 ± 3.45 kg/m², and the average K-MMSE score was 25.42 ± 5.34. The prevalence of normal cognition, cognitive impairment, and dementia was 75.4% (n = 7,568), 15.6% (n = 1,562), and 9.0% (n = 911), respectively. Compared with the normal cognition group, individuals with cognitive impairment and dementia were significantly older (58.64 ± 9.64 vs 67.92 ± 9.52 vs 75.04 ± 9.28 years; p < 0.001), had lower BMI (23.40 ± 3.52 vs 22.97 ± 3.23 vs 22.26 ± 3.12 kg/m²; p < 0.001), and exhibited markedly weaker handgrip strength (27.06 ± 8.33 vs 20.78 ± 7.13 vs 16.13 ± 6.11 kg; p < 0.001). The prevalence of ADL impairment was 1.2%, 6.3%, and 22.8%, while IADL impairment was 8.5%, 19.5%, and 46.8% across the three cognitive groups, respectively (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Cognitive impairment is strongly associated with aging, physical frailty, and multimorbidity. These factors should be incorporated into cognitive screening and geriatric health management programs.