Background The global rise of cognitive impairment and dementia poses significant public health challenges. Existing clinical practice and many social services focused on diagnosis and management after onset. The Hong Kong-Vigilance and Memory Test (HK-VMT) platform combines dementia risk assessment and cognitive test in one accessible tool to enable early detection of dementia in community setting.

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the HK-VMT platform in assessing dementia risk and a broad spectrum of cognitive impairment in community-dwelling adults. It also assesses the impact of the platform on improving public awareness and encouraging lifestyle changes.

Methods This cross-sectional study assessed 517 adults aged 50 and above recruited through outreach activities between July 2024 and March 2025. Participants underwent a two-stage screening process consisting of dementia risk assessment and cognitive test. The platform collected data on socio-demographic, psychological, medical, and physiological factors for assessing dementia risk using Cognitive Ageing Risk Score (CARS). Cognitive performance was measured by the HK-VMT. User feedback on platform accessibility, adoption, user engagement, public awareness, and attitudes toward healthy lifestyles was obtained through interview.

Results 19.7% of participants were at high risk of dementia. Cognitive impairments were detected in 34.3% of participants through the HK-VMT platform. For user experience, 78% of participants with cognitive impairments were unaware of their condition before screening. Over 95% of participants reported improved understanding of their cognitive health status and over 80% expressed intentions to adopt healthy lifestyle.

Conclusions The HK-VMT platform shows to enhance early detection of cognitive impairments, improve accessibility, increase public awareness and engage the public in brain health management. It represents a scalable solution to support healthy ageing and reduces disparities in early dementia preventive care by bridging community cognitive health services.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

This study was funded by the Research Network of Healthy Ageing under the Faculty of Arts and Social Science, Hong Kong Baptist University. (Ref: RNHA202302)

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Ethical approval was obtained from the Hong Kong Baptist University Research Ethics Committee (HKBU REC/23-24/0497).

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