Association of indoor ventilation in cooking and living area with QDRS screening-positive dementia among older adults in Kazakhstan: Interaction with cooking duration

Natalya Glushkova, Arnur Gusmanov, Azhar Dyussupova, Aliya Zhylkybekova, Meruyert Suleimenova, Kairat Davletov, Akira M Sekikawa, Ferhat Karaca

Hygiene and Environmental Health Advances, 2026

Full text Open access: Gold Metadata (CSL-JSON)
DOI 10.1016/j.heha.2026.100186
Data confidence 85 high
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Abstract

Background Household air pollution is a major environmental factor that has been linked to adverse cognitive outcomes in older adults. While indoor ventilation has been shown to mitigate these effects, evidence remains limited, particularly regarding ventilation in cooking areas. Methods Using data from a cross-sectional study of older adults without clinically diagnosed dementia in Kazakhstan, we examined the association between indoor ventilation in cooking and living areas and screen-detected dementia as well as potential interactions, using multivariable regression models. Participants scoring ≥6 on the Quick Dementia Rating System (QDRS) were classified as having screen-detected dementia. Results Among 578 participants (median age 65, 60% women), 10.4% screened positive for dementia by QDRS. In adjusted models, having a ventilation system in the cooking area was significantly associated with lower odds of QDRS screening-positive dementia compared with not having ventilation (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.41, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.21–0.81). Similarly, significantly lower odds of QDRS screening-positive dementia were observed among participants who ventilated the cooking (aOR 0.45, 95% CI: 0.23–0.86) and living (aOR 0.25, 95% CI: 0.08–0.65) areas 2–3 times daily compared to 0–1 ventilation. A significant interaction was found between daily cooking duration and ventilation presence in the cooking area (p=0.009). Conclusion We found a potentially high burden of dementia in Kazakhstan and observed that better ventilation in cooking and living areas was associated with lower odds of QDRS screening-positive dementia. These findings highlight the potential of improving kitchen ventilation as a public health strategy in the context of dementia.