Prevalence and related factors for physical function and cognitive impairment among older adults in southern China: A population-based regional cross-sectional study

Abstract

Abstract As the country with the largest and fastest-aging older population worldwide, China has hosted an increasing number of regional investigations of disability in older adults. However, the disability prevalence related to physical function and cognition in southern China is unknown. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of and associated factors for cognitive and physical-function impairment in persons 60 years or older. For this population-based cross-sectional study design, a total of 5603 participants were recruited between June 2021 to December 2022, using multistage, stratified, cluster-sampling procedure. Instruments including general questionnaire, basic and instrumental activities of daily life, Chinese version of mini-mental state examination, patient health questionnaire-9 and generalized anxiety disorder-7 were used to collect data in the form of WetChat mini program. Binary and multivariate logistic regression analysis were applied to explore the influencing factors. The prevalence of physical function and cognitive impairment in older adults was 37.3% and 31.0%, respectively. Multivariate regression analyses revealed that age, family income, education level, place of residence, medication type, annual physical examination, weekly social activities, care from family or friends, hearing disorder, walking disorder and depression were all associated with physical function and cognitive impairment. Moreover, an increased risk of physical function impairment was associated with BMI, region, income source, smoking and weekly exercise, and cognitive impairment was associated with the number of children, insurance type, coronary heart disease and anxiety. Physical function (OR: 1.79, 95%CI: 1.49, 2.16) and cognitive impairment (OR: 1.83, 95%CI: 1.51, 2.21) were mutually influenced in our study. This study showed a high prevalence of and several related factors for physical function and cognitive impairment in Guangdong Province. The results revealed that comprehensive and systematic prevention and control programs for disability should be established to improve the quality of life of older adults.