Abstract

Background Subjective memory complaints (SMC) are linked to an increased risk of neurocognitive disorders (NCD). Objective To estimate the prevalence of SMC and their association with sociodemographic and clinical factors in 3285 older adults (OA) from ten Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries. Method This population-based analysis used secondary data from an international multicenter study on NCD prevalence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cognitively healthy participants were identified based on clinical criteria, cognitive assessments, and expert consensus. Participants were categorized as with (WSMC; n = 602) or without SMC (NSMC; n = 2683). Sociodemographic and clinical variables were recorded. Cognitive performance was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Short Version (MoCA-T), depressive symptoms with the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), and functional decline with the Eight-Item Informant Interview (AD8). Mean difference analyses and logistic regressions were performed. Results The regional prevalence of SMC was 18.33%, ranging from 11.59% in Guatemala to 26.30% in Peru. OA with SMC showed lower education, poorer cognitive performance, and higher rates of anxiety, falls, and fractures. Regression models revealed significant associations between SMC and lower education (p < 0.001), emotional distress (p < 0.001), age (p = 0.024), anxiety (p = 0.017), infrequent and occasional falls (p = 0.017; p = 0.002), and fractures (p = 0.028). Conclusions SMC are prevalent among LAC older adults and are associated with multiple risk factors, highlighting their public health relevance and potential as early indicators of NCD risk.