Cognitive Impairment Associated with Obesity in Adults in a General Hospital in Cuernavaca, Morelos

Abstract

Objective: To estimate the association between cognitive impairment and obesity in adults. Methods: analytical cross-sectional study with a non-probabilistic sample of consecutive cases. 112 participants aged 20 to 64 years were included, with normal weight and obesity, who attended the outpatient Family Medicine clinic of the Regional General Hospital No. 1, in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale was used and covariates such as physical activity, caloric intake, sex, age, waist circumference and body fat percentage were evaluated. Data were analyzed with the statistical program stata 11.1. Results: 112 participants, 23 men and 89 women; age range 20 to 64 years (median 30 years). Statistically significant differences (p<0.05) were found between the groups with and without cognitive impairment in the variables: schooling, age, visceral fat level, body fat percentage, waist circumference, and muscle quality. After adjusting for age, sex, level of education, physical activity, and daily calorie intake, obesity was significantly associated with an increase in the possibility of presenting cognitive impairment (mr = 3.77, 95% ci = 1.004-14.190, p <0.04). Conclusion: obesity was associated with a higher possibility of presenting cognitive impairment, while higher schooling was associated with a lower possibility of presenting cognitive impairment.