| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立成功大學 === 政治經濟學研究所專班 === 101 === Improvements in health care over the past decades have contributed to longer life expectancy and better health of mankind. However, non-contagious diseases, such as dementia, have increased. According to World Health Organization and Alzheimer’s Disease International, people suffering with dementia worldwide have reached 35.6 million. The magnitudes will become doubled by 2030 and tripled by 2050. Dementia does not only seriously restrict people’s capacity of function or activity but also places quite burden on their families and caregivers, and thereby the patients need long-term economy. Hence, WHO appeals to governments to prioritize dementia as a major public health issue, and to formulate supporting policies to meet the challenges of dementia in the ageing societies.
Mild cognitive impairment is a syndrome defined as a greater cognitive decline than the elderly of the same age and education level though their daily lives are not being notably interfered. Prevalence, in population-based epidemiological studies, ranges from 3% to 19% among the elderly age 65 and over. Some people with mild cognitive impairment seem to remain stable or return to normal over time, but more than half have deteriorated to dementia within five years. Mild cognitive impairment can thus be regarded as a risk state of developing dementia, further as progression to dementia. The thesis aims to make further exploration into the environmental risk factors of mild cognitive impairment, adopting the longitudinal data of three surveys in 1999, 2003 and 2007 from Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging published by National Health Board. Hierarchical linear model is applied to analyze samples from Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging (TLSA) with the elderly aged 65 and over in 1999.
Based on the empirical results, cognitive function worsening differs among individuals, and increases with age. The estimated coefficients of independent variables of depressive symptoms show statistically positively significance but educational attainment show the opposite direction, whereas gender, marital status, ethnic, health behavior, and family support are not significant. What we known is limited for the cause of mild cognitive impairment. World Health Organization recommends that the Government must continue to conduct research, monitoring and advocacy, in order to establish an effective prevention system.
In 2014, the Government will extend current nine-year compulsory education to 12 years. Increasing in the number of years of education attainment could reduce the incidence of mild cognitive impairment. There is a positive aid. In addition, the Government should promote to establish a lifelong learning society. Continuing learning will effective excise brainpower, build self-esteem and reduce the incidence of depression. The human resources of the elderly should be reused. Cultivating good lifestyle can help reduce the tendency of depression may also slow the occurrence of mild cognitive impairment. It’s a great challenge to face an ageing society. A little more prepared, curbing shocks.
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