Abstract
Obesity is one of the factors associated with cognitive impairment. However, obesity may differently affect cognitive function in different age groups, and scarce data are available from low- and middle-income countries. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify the association between obesity and cognitive impairment among 143 elderly individuals in Yogyakarta. We recorded the sociodemographic factors and some comorbidities, also measured the body mass index as a parameter of obesity, cognitive function using Montreal Cognitive Assessment—Indonesia, mood condition and depression status using geriatric depression scale-short form, as well as the daily life function using Activity of Daily Living and Instrumental Activity of Daily Living. After adjustment for the sociodemographic and comorbidities, we found that subjects with older age were more likely to have cognitive impairment (odds ratio [OR] 3.544, 95%CI: 1.36–9.22, p < 0.01) and compared with elderly individuals with normal weight, obese elderly individuals were 40% less likely to have cognitive impairment (OR 0.604, 95%CI: 0.39–0.95, p < 0.05). This study suggests that obesity in elderly individuals is less frequently associated with cognitive impairment. These findings support the reverse causation mechanism related to body mass index (BMI) and cognitive impairment in low/middle-income countries.
Highlights
Normal aging, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and severe cognitive impairment serve as a continuous spectrum of cognitive function in elderly individuals [1]
We demonstrated that cognitive impairment among elderly individuals in Yogyakarta, Indonesia was affected by age, Socioeconomic status (SES), and body mass index (BMI)
The present study showed that elderly individuals aged 65+ were more likely to have cognitive impairment
Summary
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and severe cognitive impairment (dementia) serve as a continuous spectrum of cognitive function in elderly individuals [1]. The difference between mild and severe cognitive impairments is the extent to which one’s daily living is affected by the impairment [3,4]. Some factors, such as education; socioeconomic status; obesity; and comorbidities including dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, stroke, and cardiovascular disease, can affect cognitive function in elderly individuals [5,6]. Higher body mass index (BMI) in elderly individuals was associated with a decreased risk of dementia [8,9] These findings were reversed in middle age, where higher BMI was associated with an increased risk of dementia [10,11,12]
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