Objective:

To compare sociodemographic variables to error rate in categories of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) among elderly adults both with and without cognitive impairment.

Methodology:

This is an analytical, cross-sectional study, conducted with 955 elderly adults living in rural areas of Minas Gerais municipality, Brazil. A descriptive analysis was carried out and the chi-square test was applied (p < 0.05).

Results:

No association was found between sex and cognitive impairment. For its part, cognitive impairment was associated with a wider age range, a lower educational level, and widowhood. With regard to MMSE, categories most affected were Attention and Calculation, Visual Capacity Building and Memory Recall.

Conclusion:

The results from our study put emphasis on the need to carry out health activities in order to prevent cognitive impairment, and to improve functions related to patients' cognitive performance.

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