Oral language comprehension assessment among elderly: A population based study in Brazil

BackgroundDeterminants of oral language comprehension, a complex skill, are not clearly established, but may include age, schooling, health condition, depression and quality of life.ObjectiveTo assess oral comprehension skill among Brazilian elderly and identify factors explaining elderly variability in the Token test performance.MethodsA population-based random sample of 373 elderly (≥ 60 years) in Belo Horizonte, 2007, answered standardized questionnaire including socio-demographic and health-related questions and performed the Token Test short version (SVTT), Snellen Test, Mini Mental State Examination, General Health Questionnaire, and Health Survey Short Form (SF12).ResultsToken Test scores ranged from 8 to 35 points; 50% of participants scored ≤ 24 points with no sex variation. Age, schooling, literacy, cognitive status, hypertension, self-rated conversational understanding and SF12 mental component explained 62% of SVTT variability.ConclusionsLanguage comprehension disorder was quite common and test performance was highly influenced by education and cognitive status. Association between test performance and self-rated conversational comprehension indicated that elderly were aware of their difficulty.