Home › Research › Cognitive tests and assessment
A comparison of cognitive and health assessment tools used in a dementia prevention and risk management program for urban-dwelling older aboriginal Australians (DAMPAA)
Zoë Hyde, Carmela Pestell, Lynette Yappo, Glennette Dowden, Alex Lalović, Lesley Markey, Michael Bynder, Emma Jane Hunt et al.. SSM - Mental Health, 2025-04-29
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
There were weak or no correlations between the KICA-Cog and other cognitive assessment tools. Four participants had previously been told they had cognitive impairment. The KICA-Cog and MoCA scores for these participants were 37.0 (SD 2.2; range: 34–39) and 18.8 (SD 1.5; range: 17–20), respectively. A high prevalence of possible depression and anxiety suggest mental health support may be required for people participating in dementia prevention programs. The KICA-Cog is the only valid screening tool for dementia in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, but its clinical utility could potentially be improved to better detect mild neurocognitive disorder. • The KICA-Cog is a valid dementia cognitive assessment tool but it has limited ability to detect mild neurocognitive disorder. • Incorporating more items that assess executive function abilities could enhance the utility of the KICA-Cog. • The KICA package is currently being reviewed to determine how its utility can be enhanced. • Culturally responsive cognitive assessments must be co-designed and validated with the population in which they will be used.
Key findings
- There were weak or no correlations between the KICA-Cog and other cognitive assessment tools.
- Four participants had previously been told they had cognitive impairment.
- The KICA-Cog and MoCA scores for these participants were 37.0 (SD 2.2; range: 34–39) and 18.8 (SD 1.5; range: 17–20), respectively.
- A high prevalence of possible depression and anxiety suggest mental health support may be required for people participating in dementia prevention programs.
- The KICA-Cog is the only valid screening tool for dementia in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, but its clinical utility could potentially be improved to better detect mild neurocognitive disorder. • The KICA-Cog is a valid dementia cognitive assessment tool but it has limited ability to detect mild neurocognitive disorder. • Incorporating more items that assess executive function abilities could enhance the utility of the KICA-Cog. • The KICA package is currently being reviewed to determine how its utility can be enhanced. • Culturally responsive cognitive assessments must be co-designed and validated with the population in which they will be used.
Why it matters
In urban-dwelling older Aboriginal Australians, the KICA-Cog showed weak or no correlation with other cognitive tests and has limited ability to detect mild neurocognitive disorder, and many participants had possible depression or anxiety. This is about improving assessment tools for dementia prevention programs, not about treating or curing the disease.
Study details
- Participants49
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 36/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (SSM - Mental Health) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | SSM - Mental Health: journal h-index 34 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 49 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 1 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.3 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 1 / 6 | Cited 0.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 1 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Kate Smith: h-index 21 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | The University of Melbourne: institution h-index 1,342 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 36 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Hyde, Z., Pestell, C., Yappo, L., Dowden, G., Lalović, A., Markey, L., et al. (2025). A comparison of cognitive and health assessment tools used in a dementia prevention and risk management program for urban-dwelling older aboriginal Australians (DAMPAA). SSM - Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100455
Vancouver
Hyde Z, Pestell C, Yappo L, Dowden G, Lalović A, Markey L, et al. A comparison of cognitive and health assessment tools used in a dementia prevention and risk management program for urban-dwelling older aboriginal Australians (DAMPAA). SSM - Mental Health. 2025. doi:10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100455.
BibTeX
@article{hyde2025-e40016d5,
author = {Hyde, Zoë and Pestell, Carmela and Yappo, Lynette and Dowden, Glennette and Lalović, Alex and Markey, Lesley and Bynder, Michael and Hunt, Emma Jane and others},
title = {{A comparison of cognitive and health assessment tools used in a dementia prevention and risk management program for urban-dwelling older aboriginal Australians (DAMPAA)}},
journal = {SSM - Mental Health},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100455},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100455}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Related studies in Cognitive tests and assessment
Also tagged “prevalence”
1,224 studies in the library carry the topic tag “prevalence”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 1,224 tagged studies.