Comparison of cognitive and physical functions between urban and rural older adults: a cross-sectional comparative study

Objective: This study aimed to compare cognitive and physical functions between urban and rural older adults and to examine the relationships between cognitive and physical functions.Design: A cross-sectional comparative study.Methods: A total of 102 community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years or older participated in the study, including 51 urban and 51 rural residents.Cognitive function was assessed using theKorean version of Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA-K).Physical function was evaluated using the arm curl test (ACT), five times sit-to-stand test (FTSST), functional reach test (FRT), timed up and go test (TUG), and 10 meter walk test (10MWT).Differences between groups were analyzed using independent t-tests, and relationships between cognitive and physical functions were examined using partial correlation coefficients.Cohen's d was calculated to determine effect sizes.Results: Urban older adults had a significantly higher level of education than rural older adults (p＜0.05).Urban older adults demonstrated significantly better cognitive and physical functions than rural older adults in all outcome measures (p＜0.05).The effect sizes ranged from 0.462 to 1.441, with relatively large effects observed for MoCA-K, bilateral arm curl performance, FTSST, and FRT.MoCA-K scores were significantly correlated with right and left ACT (r=0.226 and r=0.280),FTSST (r=-0.306),FRT (r=0.340),TUG (r=-0.322),and 10MWT (r=-0.268)(all p＜0.05).Conclusions: Urban older adults showed better cognitive and physical functions than rural older adults.Cognitive function was significantly associated with muscle function, balance, functional mobility, and walking ability.These findings may provide useful baseline information for developing region-specific programs to promote cognitive and physical functions in community-dwelling older adults.