Objective: To examine the prevalence and risk factors of cognitive impairment in Thai older population living in urban and rural across the country.

Materials and Methods: The present study used data from the fourth Thai National Health Examination Survey [NHES IV]. The study population was 6,633 Thai elderly aged 60 years and older living in urban and rural area. Chi-square and multiple logistic regression analysis were applied to investigate prevalence and predictors of being cognitive impairment among the elderly.

Results: Prevalence of cognitive impairment among older Thai was 10.2%, with 11.7% and 8.7% in rural and urban, respectively. Significant predictors of the impairment among Thai elderly in both rural and urban included living region, gender, age, education, and active leisure. In addition, perceived poor health status was a significant predictor of the impairment in urban elderly, whereas poor economic condition was a significant predictor of the impairment in rural elderly.

Conclusion: The present study has confirmed that education and active leisure are protective factors against cognitive impairment among Thai elderly. However, poor economic condition and perceived poor health status are the risk factors associated with cognitive decline in rural and urban elderly, respectively.

Keywords: Cognitive impairment, Urban, Rural, Thai elderly