Norms for the Korean Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE) among Rural Community Populations in Korea

Son, Eui Ju

Abstract

The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is the most popular screening test to measure cognitive function and its relationship with age, educational level, and gender is already known. To obtain the population-based norms for the Korean Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE) by age, educational level, and gender among rural community populations in Korea, I applied the K-MMSE to 917 participants (320 men, 597 women; ages 35 to 91) living in Namwon County, Korea, selected by a stratified two-stage cluster sampling. To assess the relationship between K-MMSE score and age, educational level, and gender, I performed student t test, one-way analysis of variance, bivariate correlation, and stepwise multiple regression analysis. Summary scores for the K-MMSE are given in the form of mean, median, and percentile distributions specific for age, educational level and gender. The K-MMSE scores were significantly related to age, educational level, and gender (p<0.001). The mean K-MMSE score ranged from 25 for those 35 to 54 years of age, to 18 for those 75 years of age and older. The mean K-MMSE score was 20 for those with no schooling, 25 for those with 1 to 6 years of schooling, and 27 for those with more than 7 years of schooling. The mean K-MMSE score was 24 for men and 21 for women. To improve the sensitivity of K-MMSE as a screening test of cognitive function especially in low educational populations, we need to use different cutoff points according to patient's age, educational level and gender.