Abstract
Background: The global rise of cognitive impairment and dementia poses significant public health challenges. Existing clinical practice and many social services focused on diagnosis and management after onset. The Hong Kong-Vigilance and Memory Test (HK-VMT) platform combines dementia risk assessment and cognitive test in one accessible tool to enable early detection of dementia in community setting.
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the HK-VMT platform in assessing dementia risk and a broad spectrum of cognitive impairment in community-dwelling adults. It also assesses the impact of the platform on improving public awareness and encouraging lifestyle changes.
Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed 517 adults aged 50 and above recruited through outreach activities between July 2024 and March 2025. Participants underwent a two-stage screening process consisting of dementia risk assessment and cognitive test. The platform collected data on socio-demographic, psychological, medical, and physiological factors for assessing dementia risk using Cognitive Ageing Risk Score (CARS). Cognitive performance was measured by the HK-VMT. User feedback on platform accessibility, adoption, user engagement, public awareness, and attitudes toward healthy lifestyles was obtained through interview.
Results: 19.7% of participants were at high risk of dementia. Cognitive impairments were detected in 34.3% of participants through the HK-VMT platform. For user experience, 78% of participants with cognitive impairments were unaware of their condition before screening. Over 95% of participants reported improved understanding of their cognitive health status and over 80% expressed intentions to adopt healthy lifestyle.
Conclusions: The HK-VMT platform shows to enhance early detection of cognitive impairments, improve accessibility, increase public awareness and engage the public in brain health management. It represents a scalable solution to support healthy ageing and reduces disparities in early dementia preventive care by bridging community cognitive health services.
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the HK-VMT platform in assessing dementia risk and a broad spectrum of cognitive impairment in community-dwelling adults. It also assesses the impact of the platform on improving public awareness and encouraging lifestyle changes.
Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed 517 adults aged 50 and above recruited through outreach activities between July 2024 and March 2025. Participants underwent a two-stage screening process consisting of dementia risk assessment and cognitive test. The platform collected data on socio-demographic, psychological, medical, and physiological factors for assessing dementia risk using Cognitive Ageing Risk Score (CARS). Cognitive performance was measured by the HK-VMT. User feedback on platform accessibility, adoption, user engagement, public awareness, and attitudes toward healthy lifestyles was obtained through interview.
Results: 19.7% of participants were at high risk of dementia. Cognitive impairments were detected in 34.3% of participants through the HK-VMT platform. For user experience, 78% of participants with cognitive impairments were unaware of their condition before screening. Over 95% of participants reported improved understanding of their cognitive health status and over 80% expressed intentions to adopt healthy lifestyle.
Conclusions: The HK-VMT platform shows to enhance early detection of cognitive impairments, improve accessibility, increase public awareness and engage the public in brain health management. It represents a scalable solution to support healthy ageing and reduces disparities in early dementia preventive care by bridging community cognitive health services.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publisher | medRxiv |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 14 May 2025 |
Publication series
| Name | medRxiv |
|---|
User-Defined Keywords
- cognitive screening
- early cognitive deficits
- preventive care
- brain health
- community health program
- early detection
