• Yeny Concha-Cisternas, José Castro-Piñero, Fanny Petermann-Rocha, Claudia Troncoso-Pantoja, Ximena Díaz, Igor Cigarroa, Miquel Martorell, María Adela Martínez-Sanguinetti, Gabriela Nazar, Ana María Leiva-Ordoñez, and Carlos Celis-Morales.
• Escuela de Kinesiología, Facultad de Salud, Universidad Santo Tomás, Chile.
• Rev Med Chil. 2022 Dec 1; 150 (12): 157515841575-1584.

BackgroundA low education level has been associated with cognitive impairment in older adults.AimTo determine the association between educational attainment and suspicion of cognitive imparirment in older Chilean population.Material And MethodsData from 2,005 adults aged ≥ 60 years assessed during 2016-2017 Chilean National Health Survey were included. Education was self-reported and categorized as primary: ≤ 8 years; secondary: 9 to 12 years and beyond secondary: > 12 years. suspicion of cognitive imparirment was assessed with the Mini-Mental questionnaire.ResultsMen and women with low education attainment had a higher prevalence of cognitive impairment (33% [95% confidence intervals (CI): 24; 41] and 27% [95% CI: 21; 33], respectively). Men who reported less schooling (≤ 8 years) were more likely to be at risk of suspicion of cognitive imparirment (Odds ratio (OR): 4.53 [95% CI: 1.10, 18.62]) compared to their peers. Women showed a substantially higher magnitude of association than men. The probability of suspicion of cognitive imparirment increased 9-times (OR: 9.96 [95% CI: 1.24; 79.6]) for 9-12 years and 18-times for ≤ 8 years of education (OR: 18.8 [95% CI: 2.42; 146.1]) compared to women with higher education.ConclusionsOlder adults with low education attainment had an increased likelihood of developing suspicion of cognitive imparirment. However, the risk differs by sex, being higher in women than men.

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