The Relationship between the Lifestyle of the Elderly in Shanghai Communities and Mild Cognitive Impairment

BACKGROUND: Those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are ten times more like to develop Alzheimer’s disease (AD) than the general population. MCI diagnosis and early intervention are helpful for the diagnosis and treatment of AD in its early stages, thus delaying its development and improving the quality of life for those with MCI. AIMS: To analyze the relationship between the lifestyle of the elderly in Shanghai communities and mild cognitive impairment and to look for preventative lifestyle measures for the elderly with mild cognitive impairment. METHODS: 1005 elderly persons were randomly selected from the community in Shanghai. Study participants were 265 people with an MCI diagnosis and 607 non-MCI elderly persons. The demographic and lifestyle data of these elderly people were collected for univariate and multivariate analysis to search for statistically significant indicators. RESULTS: The univariate analysis revealed that smoking (χ(2)= 10.808, p=0.001), tea drinking (χ(2)=11.74, p= 0.001), having hobbies (χ(2)= 20.815, p<0.001), reading (χ(2)=28.670, p= 0.001), surfing the internet (χ(2)=12.623, p= 0.001), and photography (χ(2)=4.470, p= 0.034) were protective factors for MCI. The binary logistic regression, a multivariate analysis, revealed that smoking, reading, and surfing the internet had statistical significance. Their OR values were 0.562 (0.358-0.883), 0.428 (0.253-0.726), and 0.238 (0.071-0.797) respectively. Thus, smoking, reading, and surfing the internet were protective factors for MCI. CONCLUSIONS: Lifestyle is associated with the onset of MCI. Good life habits and behaviors are significant in the prevention of MCI developing into Alzheimer’s.