Secular trends in prevalent mild cognitive impairment: Data from the Swedish population‐based study Good Aging in Skåne

BACKGROUND: Research suggests that incident dementia is decreasing, yet research on secular trends of prodromal dementia such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is lacking. METHODS: To determine change of MCI prevalence over time and potential explanatory factors, four baseline samples (years 2001–2020) of Swedish participants (n = 3910) aged 60 and 81 at examination were compared. RESULTS: An overall drop of 9 to 10 percentage points in MCI prevalence between 2001 and 2020 was observed, with lower odds ratios (OR) for MCI in the latest birth cohorts compared to earliest (e.g., ORs for 60‐year‐olds in latest born = 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.37–0.76). Adjustments for sociodemographic (e.g., education), lifestyle, vascular and metabolic health and depression could not fully explain the observed MCI decline (e.g., 60‐year‐olds, OR = 0.59; 95% CI 0.40–0.88). DISCUSSION: Studies like this are imperative as even a slight postponement in the onset of dementia could have a substantial impact on future public health burden.