Dr Anthony Ngugi, the associate dean for research in the Medical College in East Africa.
A study that seeks to understand the health needs of the
elderly has received a grant from the US National
Institutes of Health (NIH).
The Longitudinal Study of Health and Ageing in Kenya
(LOSHAK), being done by the Department of Population Health at Aga Khan
University (AKU) Medical College and East Africa and the U-M Institute for
Social Research (ISR), received Sh3.2 billion to boost the research.
The university said in a statement that the grant will be distributed between AKU and U-M to
survey thousands of Kenyans as they seek to fully understand drivers of health
and economic well-being in later life, in addition to the long-term implications
of emerging population trends.
The study will allow the team to establish a long-term
survey cohort, laying the foundation for future studies to examine other
dimensions of population ageing, the university said.
Dr Anthony Ngugi, associate dean for research in the medical college in East Africa, acknowledged the impact the funding will have in
addressing the health of the elderly.
He said, “These
demographic shifts will stress economic systems and create new demands for
healthcare delivery, from elder care to chronic disease management and cancer
treatments. Looking ahead, policy
makers will need the best possible data to understand and care for LMIC
populations that look much different from those typically seen today.”
The survey will target
roughly 6,500 Kenyans aged 45 and older throughout the entire country. It will
gather a range of health, social, and economic information. The survey will be
deployed in more than a dozen languages, reflecting the country’s linguistic diversity.
It is intended to harmonise with a global family of similar ageing studies
modelled after the U.S. Health and Retirement Survey.
The second survey will
be conducted with about 2,300 older adults (65 years and above) in Kenya’s
Coast region, and will look at the risk factors linked to memory loss, Alzheimer’s
disease, and other related conditions.
The second survey of
about 2,300 individuals in the Coast Region of Kenya aged 65 and older, focused
on identifying risk factors for cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, and
related conditions.
All of the information
gathered through LOSHAK will be publicly available to researchers for
comparison alongside harmonised studies around the world, providing insights to
academics, government officials, and policymakers across the African continent
and beyond.