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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Catherine Dotchin, Dr Stella Paddick, Dr Felicity DewhurstORCiD, Dr Matthew Dewhurst, Professor Richard Walker
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND).
© 2014 Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Cognitive impairment is thought to be a major cause of disability worldwide, though data from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are sparse. This study aimed to investigate the association between cognitive impairment and disability in a cohort of community-dwelling older adults living in Tanzania. The study cohort of 296 people aged 70. years and over was recruited as part of a dementia prevalence study. Subjects were diagnosed as having dementia or mild cognitive impairment according to the DSM-IV criteria. Disability level was assessed according to the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule, version 2.0 (WHODAS). A higher WHODAS score indicates greater disability. The median WHODAS in the background population was 25.0; in those with dementia and in those with mild cognitive impairment, 72 of 78 (92.3%) and 41 of 46 (89.1%), respectively, had a WHODAS score above this level. The presence of dementia, mild cognitive impairment, hearing impairment, being unable to walk without an aid and not having attended school were independent predictors of having a WHODAS score above 25.0, though age and gender were not. In summary, cognitive impairment is a significant predictor of disability in elderly Tanzanians. Screening for early signs of cognitive decline would allow management strategies to be put in place that may reduce the associated disability burden.
Author(s): Dotchin CL, Paddick S-M, Gray WK, Kisoli A, Orega G, Longdon AR, Chaote P, Dewhurst F, Dewhurst M, Walker RW
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health
Year: 2015
Volume: 5
Issue: 1
Pages: 57-64
Print publication date: 01/03/2015
Online publication date: 23/10/2014
Acceptance date: 13/09/2014
Date deposited: 14/09/2017
ISSN (print): 2210-6006
ISSN (electronic): 2210-6014
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jegh.2014.09.004
DOI: 10.1016/j.jegh.2014.09.004
PubMed id: 25700924
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