Dementia & Neuropsychologia · Nov 2, 2026

Detection of suspected cognitive impairment and risk factors among older adults in the Maldives

By Fiyaza M, Hassan Z, Ahmed R et al.

UNLABELLED: Dementia is an emerging public health concern in the Maldives due to population aging and increasing noncommunicable diseases. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of self-reported dementia risk factors and symptoms and to estimate the proportion of individuals with suspected cognitive impairment using the Mini-Cog screening tool. METHODS: A cross-sectional, communitybased screening study was conducted in four cities in the Maldives (Male', Addu, Fuvahmulah, and Kulhudhuffushi). Individuals aged ≥60 years or 50-59 years with at least one dementia risk factor were recruited through community screening. Sociodemographic characteristics, risk factors, cognitive symptoms, and Mini-Cog scores were collected using a structured questionnaire. Suspected cognitive impairment was defined as a Mini-Cog score ≤2. RESULTS: A total of 940 participants were included (mean age, 62.4 years; 71.2% female). Cardiometabolic risk factors were highly prevalent, including hypercholesterolemia (59.4%), hypertension (50.0%), and diabetes mellitus (36.9%), with over 60% reporting multimorbidity. Common symptoms were memory loss (46.9%) and misplacing items (46.3%); 16.8% reported functional impairment. Among 784 participants with complete Mini-Cog assessments, 278 (35.5%) had suspected cognitive impairment. Multivariable logistic regression showed that increasing age and lower educational attainment were independently associated with suspected cognitive impairment, while hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, and previous stroke were not. CONCLUSION: There is a high burden of modifiable risk factors, cognitive symptoms, and suspected cognitive impairment among adults in the Maldives. Community-based screening may facilitate early identification and support dementia risk reduction strategies. Targeted screening of older adults and those with lower educational attainment may improve case detection.

doi.org/10.1590/1980-5764-dn-2026-0560 Open access PubMed 42985109 Biomarkers