Association between lifestyle and cognitive impairment among women aged 65 years and over in the Republic of Korea

The high risk of dementia among elderly women is a major health issue in Korea. Lifestyle should be given special attention because a healthful lifestyle is highly likely to reduce the risk of dementia. This study aimed to explore the association between lifestyle and cognitive impairment, which is one of the major symptoms of dementia, among community-dwelling elderly women in Korea (N = 2,401). Descriptive statistics were used to examine demographics, and a chi-square test was performed to examine differences in the prevalence of cognitive impairment across age groups. Finally, multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate the associations between lifestyle (i.e., daily water intake, alcohol consumption, regular exercise, and volunteering activities) and cognitive impairment. In this study, approximately 20% of participants were cognitively impaired, and the prevalence of those with cognitive impairment was significantly higher with age. Moreover, the odds of cognitive i...