Background: The objective of this study was to validate categories of cognitive functioning using data from the 2009 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)--Healthy Aging Cognition Module.
Data and methods: Four measures of cognitive functioning--immediate and delayed recall (memory), and animal-naming and the Mental Alternation Test (executive functioning)--were coded into five categories for the Canadian household population aged 45 or older. The scores for each measure were standardized to t-scores that controlled for age, sex and education. Respondents were classified into five cognitive functioning categories. Cross-tabulations, stratum-specific likelihood ratios and multinomial logit regression were used to assess associations between levels of cognitive functioning and various health outcomes: self-reported general and mental health status, memory and problem-solving ability, activities of daily living, life satisfaction, loneliness, depression, and chronic conditions.
Results: Results supported the use of five levels of cognitive functioning for all four outcomes on the CCHS--Healthy Aging sample overall and by age group (45 to 64, 65 or older) and language group (English, French).
Interpretation: These categories can be used in future work on cognitive functioning based on the CCHS--Healthy Aging.