TITLE:
Assessment of Cognitive Function in the Elderly and Analysis of Its Influencing Factors
AUTHORS:
Chenchen Hou
KEYWORDS:
The Elderly, Cognitive Function, Mini-Mental State Examination, Influencing Factors, Intervention Measures
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.14 No.4,
April
30,
2026
ABSTRACT: Objective: Taking elderly people aged 60 and above in Ma’anshan City, Anhui Province as the research subjects, to conduct cognitive function assessment and analyze its influencing factors, so as to provide empirical evidence for formulating targeted intervention measures to protect cognitive function and delay the progression of cognitive impairment in the elderly. Methods: A total of 200 permanent residents aged 60 and above from 8 community health service centers in Jihu District, Yushan District and Bowang District of Ma’anshan City were randomly selected as research subjects by simple random sampling method from January 2025 to June 2025. This was an exploratory study without formal sample size calculation. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used to assess the cognitive function of the elderly from six dimensions: orientation, memory, attention, calculation ability, recall ability and language ability. Meanwhile, information such as general basic data, living habits, mental and psychological status and disease conditions of the research subjects was collected to explore the correlation between various factors and the cognitive function of the elderly. Results: Among 200 elderly individuals, 74 had abnormal cognitive function, with an abnormal incidence rate of 37%. Univariate analysis showed that age, educational level, living status, physical activity, balanced diet, social activities, mental and psychological status, and comorbidity with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, or cerebrovascular disease were all associated with abnormal cognitive function in the elderly (all P 0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that age ≥ 80 years (dummy variable, reference: 60 - 69 years), primary school education or below (dummy variable, reference: junior college or above), living alone, lack of regular exercise, insufficient social activities, presence of mental and psychological problems such as insomnia, anxiety or depression, and comorbidity with hypertension, diabetes mellitus or cerebrovascular disease were independent risk factors for abnormal cognitive function in the elderly (all P