Background: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is one of the early warning signs of objective cognition impairment and dementia.
Methods: This cross-sectional study screened SCD and studied multiple domains of mental health, lifestyle, and life quality of the community-dwelling people in the northern coastal region of Taiwan.
Results: Among 426 valid AD8 questionnaires, a cutoff of score 2 divided subjects into 115 with SCD (SCD+) and 311 without SCD (SCD-). Analysis of age, sex, body compositions, and blood tests revealed an older age (60.7 ± 10.9 years) of the SCD+ group than the SCD- group (57.6 ± 12.0 years, p < 0.05). Further exclusion of subjects younger than 50 years eliminated age differences and left 100 with SCD (SCD+_50) and 229 without (SCD-_50). Multidomain comparisons of the SCD+_50 group over the SCD-_50 group were made: the Taiwanese Depression Questionnaire found a higher likelihood of depression; the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index revealed suboptimal sleep quality; the SF-36 showed inferior function of all 8 aspects of quality of life; the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile documented a less health-seeking lifestyle of nutrition, self-actualization, and stress management.
Conclusions: Aging increased the SCD risk. People with SCD had suboptimal performance in mental health and life quality in addition to subjective cognition problems.
Keywords: Aging; Cognitive impairment; Depression; Quality of life; Subjective cognitive decline.