Journal of Medical Science And Clinical Research · Sep 8, 2026
Assessment of Risk Factors Associated with Impaired Cognitive Function in Elderly Patients Seen in a Tertiary Health Facility in South Eastern Nigeria
By Maduawuchi OF
Background: Cognitive impairment has become a major public health concern as the prevalence increases rapidly with increasing age. This study was set to determine the risk factors for impaired cognitive function in elderly patients accessing care in a primary care clinic in south-eastern Nigeria Methods: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study conducted at the General Out-patient Clinic, Federal Teaching Hospital, Owerri. A total of 252 eligible and consenting patients aged 65 years and above, were recruited into the study by systematic sampling method. Data were collected using a researcher-administered questionnaire, and nutritional status and cognitive function were assessed using Mini Nutritional Assessment and Mini-Mental State Examination respectively. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. Tests of association between the independent variables and outcome were conducted using logistic regression and a p-value of <0.05 was considered as being statistical significant. Results: The overall prevalence of cognitive impairment among the respondents was 23.4%. Mild cognitive impairment had a prevalence of 15.5%, while severe cognitive impairment (dementia) had a prevalence rate of 7.9%. Cognitive impairment was found to be independently associated with increasing age (OR= 2.349, 95% Cl = 1.513-3.648, p-value = 0.0001), gender (OR = 2.097, CI = 1.015 – 4.336, pvalue = 0.046), educational level (OR= 0.569, 95% CI= 0.399 – 0.810, p-value= 0.002), and tobacco use (OR= 1.980, CI = 1.095 – 3.579, p-value = 0.024). Conclusion: The prevalence of impaired cognitive function was found to be high among the study population. Consequently, the risk factors identified from this study that were associated with cognitive impairment must be satisfactorily addressed. Keywords: Cognition, elderly, function, impairment.