The prevalence of cognitive impairment among the elderly in Hanoi city using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study aimed to describe the prevalence of cognitive impairment and its associated factors among older adults in Hanoi using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 763 elderly aged 60 years old and older in Hanoi from January 2024 to January 2025. The prevalence of cognitive impairment was 70.4%, of which mild cognitive impairment represented 46.1%. The mean MoCA score was 21.3 ± 6.3. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of cognitive impairment was higher among females, increased significantly with age, and was higher among participants living in rural areas. Higher educational attainment was identified as a protective factor against cognitive impairment. The most affected cognitive domains were delayed recall (90.8%) and visuospatial ability (81.9%), followed by attention, language fluency, and abstraction. In contrast, orientation and naming were the least affected cognitive domains.
Article Details
Keywords
Cognitive impairment, elderly, MoCA
References
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21. Jia J, Wang F, Wei C. The prevalence of dementia in urban and rural areas of China. Alzheimer’s & Dementia. 2014;10(1):1-9. doi:10.1016/j.jalz.2013.01.012
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23. Zhao Q, Lv Y, Zhou Y, Hong Z, Guo Q. Short-Term Delayed Recall of Auditory Verbal Learning Test Is Equivalent to Long-Term Delayed Recall for Identifying Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment. PLoS ONE. 2012;7(12):e51157. doi:10.1371/journal.pone. 0051157
24. Berente DB, Zsuffa J, Werber T. Alteration of Visuospatial System as an Early Marker of Cognitive Decline: A Double-Center Neuroimaging Study. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. 2022;14:854368. doi:10.3389/fnagi.2022.854368
25. Dafni-Merom A, Peters-Founshtein G, Kahana-Merhavi S, Arzy S. A unified brain system of orientation and its disruption in Alzheimer’s disease. Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology. 2019;6(12):2468-2478. doi:10.1002/acn3.50940
2. Giang Thanh Long. Già hóa dân số và người cao tuổi ở Việt Nam. Tổng cục Thống kê; 2021.
3. Anand S, Schoo C. Mild Cognitive Impairment. StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2026.
4. Dautzenberg G, Lijmer J, Beekman A. Diagnostic accuracy of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) for cognitive screening in old age psychiatry. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2020;35(3):261–269. doi:10.1002/gps.5227
5. Nguyễn Thanh Bình, Lê Thị Ngọc, Nguyễn Ngọc Ánh, và cs. Đặc điểm nhận thức của người cao tuổi tại bệnh viện lão khoa trung ương. Tạp chí Y học Việt Nam. 06/16 2024;539(3)doi:10.51298/vmj.v539i3.10123
6. Đoàn Hữu Nhân, Nguyễn Văn Tuấn, Trần Thiện Thắng, Nguyễn Thái Thông, Nguyễn Thị Phương Hiền, Nguyễn Văn Thống. Khảo sát đặc điểm và các yếu tố liên quan đến suy giảm nhận thức ở người bệnh cao tuổi tăng huyết áp. Tạp chí Y Dược học Cần Thơ. 01/25 2024;(70):182–188. doi:10.58490/ctump.2024i70.2275
7. Jia X, Wang Z, Huang F, et al. A comparison of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) for mild cognitive impairment screening in Chinese middle-aged and older population: a cross-sectional study. BMC Psychiatry. 2021/10/04 2021;21(1):485. doi:10.1186/s12888-021-03495-6
8. Ong R, Yap CW, Ge L. Regression-based normative scores for the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in an Asian population. Scientific Reports. 2025;15:17895. doi:10.1038/s41598-025-03167-5
9. Tt N, Cbd H, Md HL. Assessing cognitive decline in Vietnamese older adults using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Basic (MoCA-B) and Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE) during the COVID-19 pandemic: A feasibility study. The Clinical Neuropsychologist. 2023;37(5)doi:10.1080/13854046.2023.2192418
10. Quang H, Nguyen AL, Do C, McDonald S, Nguyen C. Examining the Vietnamese Montreal cognitive assessment in healthy and moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury populations. The Clinical Neuropsychologist. 2023/07/04 2023;37(5):1062-1077. doi:10.1080/13854046.2023.2170281
11. Do M, Bui B, Pham NN, et al. Validation of MoCA Test in Vietnamese Language for Cognitive Impairment Screening. Journal of Global Health Neurology and Psychiatry. 05/20 2022;doi:10.52872/001c.35656
12. Xu S, Xie B, Song M. High Prevalence of Mild Cognitive Impairment in the Elderly: A Community-Based Study in Four Cities of the Hebei Province, China. Neuroepidemiology. 2014;42(2):123–130. doi:10.1159/000357374
13. Jia X, Wang Z, Huang F, et al. A comparison of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) for mild cognitive impairment screening in Chinese middle-aged and older population: a cross-sectional study. BMC Psychiatry. 2021;21doi:10.1186/s12888-021-03495-6
14. Nguyễn Văn Phi, Nguyễn Văn Tuấn, Nguyễn Thị Hòa, Đoàn Thị Huệ, Nguyễn Thu Hà. Thực trạng suy giảm nhận thức ở người cao tuổi sau mắc COVID-19 tại Hà Nội. Tạp chí Y học Việt Nam. 2025;548(3)doi:10.51298/vmj.v548i3.13706
15. Nguyễn Xuân Thanh, Phạm Thắng, Vũ Thị Thanh Huyền, Nguyễn Trung Anh. So sánh trắc nghiệm đánh giá nhận thức Montreal với trắc nghiệm đánh giá trạng thái tâm thần tối thiểu trong sàng lọc sa sút trí tuệ. Tạp chí Y Dược lâm sàng 108. 2020;15(5).
16. Dale W, Kotwal A, Shega J, et al. Cognitive Function and its Risk Factors Among Older US Adults Living at Home. Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders. 2018;32:207. doi:10.1097/wad.0000000000000241
17. Narazaki K, Nofuji Y, Honda T, Matsuo E, Yonemoto K, Kumagai S. Normative Data for the Montreal Cognitive Assessment in a Japanese Community-Dwelling Older Population. Neuroepidemiology. 2012;40:23-29. doi:10.1159/000339753
18. Li R, Singh M. Sex Differences in Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology. 2014;35(3):385-403. doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2014.01.002
19. Wu X, Tang Y, He Y, Wang Q, Wang Y, Qin X. Prevalence of cognitive impairment and its related factors among Chinese older adults: an analysis based on the 2018 CHARLS data. Frontiers in Public Health. 2024;12:1500172. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2024.1500172
20. Murman DL. The Impact of Age on Cognition. Seminars in Hearing. 2015;36(3):111–121. doi:10.1055/s-0035-1555115
21. Jia J, Wang F, Wei C. The prevalence of dementia in urban and rural areas of China. Alzheimer’s & Dementia. 2014;10(1):1-9. doi:10.1016/j.jalz.2013.01.012
22. Arora S, Patten SB, Mallo SC. The influence of education in predicting conversion from Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) to objective cognitive impairment: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Ageing Research Reviews. 2024;101:102487. doi:10.1016/j.arr.2024.102487
23. Zhao Q, Lv Y, Zhou Y, Hong Z, Guo Q. Short-Term Delayed Recall of Auditory Verbal Learning Test Is Equivalent to Long-Term Delayed Recall for Identifying Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment. PLoS ONE. 2012;7(12):e51157. doi:10.1371/journal.pone. 0051157
24. Berente DB, Zsuffa J, Werber T. Alteration of Visuospatial System as an Early Marker of Cognitive Decline: A Double-Center Neuroimaging Study. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. 2022;14:854368. doi:10.3389/fnagi.2022.854368
25. Dafni-Merom A, Peters-Founshtein G, Kahana-Merhavi S, Arzy S. A unified brain system of orientation and its disruption in Alzheimer’s disease. Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology. 2019;6(12):2468-2478. doi:10.1002/acn3.50940