Associations of Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, Self-Reported Falls, and Depression With Subjective Cognitive Decline Among Older Adults

Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) has been associated with challenges performing instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). The purposes of this study were to assess the prevalence of SCD among older adults and examine factors associated with SCD. Using the 2022 National Health and Aging Trends Study dataset, a binary logistic regression model was fit to identify the association of IADL, self-reported falls, and depression on SCD. About 13% of participants reported SCD, 28.3% reported one or more IADL difficulty, and 39.4% reported depressive symptoms. About 24% reported one or more falls in the past year. Findings reinforce the role of functional decline, depression, and falling on cognition among older adults. The interrelated nature of these variables highlights the importance of timely cognitive function screening when subjective memory problems are recognized.