ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Aging and Public Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1640089
Sociodemographic, Health Behavioral, and Disease History Risk Factors for Dementia in Older Adults: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study in Guangzhou, China
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- 2Guangzhou Medical University School of Public Health, Guangzhou, China
- 3Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, China
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Objective: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of dementia and its associated risk factors among older adults aged 65 years and above in Guangzhou, China.We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study involving 2,463 residents aged 65 years or older in Guangzhou, using a multi-stage whole-population random sampling method. Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), with cutoff points adjusted by education level. Trained investigators collected information on demographic characteristics, health behavioral factors, and medical history through face-to-face interviews. Univariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression were performed to identify factors associated with dementia.The prevalence of dementia was 14.94% among participants aged 65 and above, increasing from 13.30% to 34.58% across different age groups. Multivariate analysis showed that frequent falls (≥3 falls within the past year vs. no falls: OR = 2.72, 95% CI: 1.27-5.81, P < 0.05), older age (≥85 years vs. 65-74 years: OR = 2.62, 95% CI: 1.66-4.13, P < 0.001), depression (OR = 2.61, 95% CI: 1.36-5.00, P < 0.05) had the most significant associations with dementia risk. Lower educational attainment, prolonged sleep duration (≥8 hours), lack of cognitive activity and physical activity, depression, as well as a history of stroke, also showed statistical differences.Dementia is highly prevalent among older adults in Guangzhou, posing a substantial public health challenge. Our findings emphasize the need for early identification and targeted interventions, including the promotion of physical and cognitive activities, fall prevention strategies, and better management of chronic conditions such as stroke, depression, and hearing loss, to reduce dementia risk and burden in aging communities.
Keywords: Dementia, older adults, Prevalence, Risk factors, Cross-sectional study
Received: 03 Jun 2025; Accepted: 18 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Huang, Li, Tao, Zhong, Li, Chen and Shen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jichuan Shen, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, China
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