Impact of literacy and years of education on the diagnosis of dementia: A population-based study

ABSTRACT

Background. The effect of different educational indices on clinical diagnosis of dementia requires more investigation. Objective. We compared the differential influence of two educational indices (EIs): years of schooling and level of education (i.e., null/low literacy, can read and write, primary school, and secondary school) on global cognition, functional performance, and the probability of having a dementia diagnosis. Method. A total of 3,816 participants were selected from the population-based study of older adults “Neurological Disorders in Central Spain” (NEDICES). The 37-item version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE–37) and the Pfeffer’s questionnaire were applied to assess cognitive and functional performance, respectively. The diagnosis of dementia was performed by expert neurologists according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–Fourth Edition (DSM–IV) criteria. Logistic regression models adjusted for potential confounders were carried out to test the association between the two EIs and dementia diagnosis. Results. Both EIs were significantly associated with cognitive and functional scores, but individuals with null/low literacy performed significantly worse on MMSE–37 than literates when these groups were compared in terms of years of schooling. The two EIs were also related to an increased probability of dementia diagnosis in logistic models, but the association’s strength was stronger for level of education than for years of schooling. Conclusion. Literacy predicted cognitive performance over and above the years of schooling. Lower education increases the probability of having a dementia diagnosis but the impact of different EIs is not uniform.

KEYWORDS:

• Aging
• Cognitive reserve
• Diagnosis
• Education
• Neuropsychology

Acknowledgements

The authors thank all collaborators of the NEDICES study for their participation. The Spanish Health Research Agency and the Spanish Office of Science and Technology supported NEDICES.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Detailed information about collaborators and funding of NEDICES can be found at the study website (http://www.ciberned.es/estudio-nedices).