Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40973521›Full record

ArticleThe journal of prevention of Alzheimer's disease2026

Trends in cognitive impairment among older adults in China from 2002 to 2022: Evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lei Feng, Kaisy Xinhong Ye, Qiushi Feng, Yan Mo, Zuqi Cai, Chunbo Li, Jintai Yu, Bin Li, Andrea B Maier, Yi Zeng and 1 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The journal of prevention of Alzheimer's disease, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Lei FengHealthy Longevity Translational Research Program, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore; Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore; Department of Physiological Medicine and Healthy Longevity Translational Research Program, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; NUS Academy for Healthy Longevity, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore. Electronic address: pcmfl@nus.edu.sg.
Kaisy Xinhong YeHealthy Longevity Translational Research Program, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore; Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore; Department of Physiological Medicine and Healthy Longevity Translational Research Program, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; NUS Academy for Healthy Longevity, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore. Electronic address: kaisy.ye@nus.edu.sg.
Qiushi FengDepartment of Sociology and Anthropology, Centre for Family and Population Research, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117570, Singapore.
Yan MoDepartment of Sociology and Anthropology, Centre for Family and Population Research, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117570, Singapore.
Zuqi CaiDepartment of Sociology and Anthropology, Centre for Family and Population Research, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117570, Singapore.
Chunbo LiShanghai Mental Health Centre, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200025, China.
Jintai YuDepartment of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200031, China.
Bin LiDepartment of Geriatrics, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610072, China.
Andrea B MaierHealthy Longevity Translational Research Program, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore; Department of Human Movement Sciences, @AgeAmsterdam, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Movement Sciences, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Human Movement Sciences, @AgeAmsterdam, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Movement Sciences, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands; NUS Academy for Healthy Longevity, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore.
Yi ZengChina Center for Health Development Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development and Geriatrics Division, School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA. Electronic address: zengyi@nsd.pku.edu.cn.
Zhenglian WangZengyi Population Think Tank, Zhejiang, China. Electronic address: wangzhenglianzhenglianwa@zythink.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCognitive impairment is a growing public health concern, particularly in aging populations. While trends in CI prevalence in China were studied up to 2018, no previous research has explored how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected these trends.

objectivesThis study aims to extend the analysis to 2022, examining the impact of the pandemic on cognitive impairment prevalence.

participantsThe Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) data across multiple waves (2002 to 2022) was used (n=64,872). MEASUREMENTS: Cognitive impairment was assessed using a Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The rural/urban-sex-single age-specific prevalence of cognitive impairment across different waves were estimated using the DemoRates R package. Cognitive impairment trends before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic were compared to identify any significant changes.

resultsIn 2018 and previous waves, an average of 16,191 participants per wave were surveyed (four waves), with a cognitive impairment prevalence of 4.3%. In 2022, post-COVID-19, the survey included 14,022 participants and showed a significant increase in CI prevalence to 6.8%. The observed trends were independent of gender, age group, and residential environment (P-trend < 0.001). However, a significant decrease in mean calf circumference, increase in proportion of overweight participants, and increases in daily fruit and vegetable intake and regular physical activity were notable after the pandemic.

conclusionThe study suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to the observed increase in cognitive impairment prevalence in China, underscoring the importance of further research into the long-term cognitive effects of global health crises. These findings highlight the need to strengthen healthcare systems to support cognitive health in an aging population, while considering both pandemic-related and ongoing factors in the management of cognitive impairment.

Indexed as

Cognitive DysfunctionCOVID-19AgedAged, 80 and overChinaFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedPrevalenceSARS-CoV-2ChinaCognitive impairmentCoronavirusPandemicPrevalence

Identifiers

PMID40973521
PMCPMC12811765

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.