Prevalence of memory impairment 2000-2015 in Sao Paolo, Brazil

peer reviewedBackground: Decreases in prevalence of memory impairment and dementia over the last two decades have been observed in different countries for cohorts entering older age. We sought to explore the changes in prevalence of cognitive impairment across four waves of the Health, Welfare and Aging survey (SABE) with data collected in Sao Paolo, Brazil, in 2000, 2006, 2010, and 2015. Method: Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) scores and covariate values were available for 5,191 respondents (62.4% female) aged 60 to 99 across four waves. Cognitive impairment was defined as having <=12 points on a 19-point abbreviated version of the MMSE. Age group, educational attainment (no formal schooling, primary, secondary, post-secondary), self-reported heart disease, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, and BMI (