Predictors of Quality of Life among Older People with Mild Cognitive Impairment Attending Urban Primary Care Clinics

OBJECTIVES: To study the prevalence of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) among older people attending primary care clinics and its predictors of QOL.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at two primary care clinics in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, recruiting 271 participants by utilizing the universal sampling method. Every patient who attended both the clinics during the study period and met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were approached and briefed about the study. Patients who gave consent were recruited as study participants. Information on sociodemographic, medical condition, and lifestyle behaviors were obtained. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was used to screen for MCI at a score < 23. The World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire was used to evaluate QOL.

RESULTS: Prevalence of MCI was 27.3%. Lower QOL scores were found in the physical (67.3 ± 1.4), psychological (67.3 ± 1.4), social (66.9 ± 1.6) and environmental (71.3 ± 1.3) domains among participants with MCI. Among them, predictors of QOL were depression in the physical domain, age and stroke in the psychological domain, presence of other types of disorders in the social domain and diabetes and stroke in the environmental domain.

CONCLUSIONS: MCI was prevalent among study participants and were associated with poorer QOL in all domains of QOL. A better understanding of predictors of QOL in older people with MCI is deemed important.

CLINICAL IMPLICATION: Routine cognitive screening at primary care clinics will facilitate early recognition of MCI and facilitates referral to memory clinics for further assessment and treatment.