Normalization of Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS) in Chilean older people

ABSTRACT Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS) is a cognitive screening that evaluates older people with low educational levels. In Chile, there are no normative data to assess this population. Objective: To obtain normative data on RUDAS in older Chilean people with up to 12 years of schooling, and to determine whether age and schooling years influence a person’s performance on RUDAS and on the items that constitute it. Methods: A group of cognitively healthy people 60 years old or over, with up to 12 schooling years was evaluated (n=135). Multiple regression models were applied to obtain normative data on RUDAS, according to age and schooling years, and to measure the effects of schooling on different items. Results: Regression analysis showed that none of the items had schooling as a significant predictor, except for the visuoconstruction item. The variables age and schooling explained 12.6% (R^2=0.126) of the RUDAS total score variance. The item visuoconstruction was the most associated with the educational level (OR=1,147). Conclusion: This study showed that RUDAS is a recommended instrument for evaluating older people with low educational levels. However, more studies are needed to prove the validity of the RUDAS on Chilean older people.