Adult Health & Healthy Ageing

Health and Aging in Africa: Longitudinal Studies in South Africa (HAALSA)

Health and Aging in Africa: A Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community in South Africa (HAALSI)

The HAALSI Study: Tracking South Africa’s Ageing Revolution

Since 2013, the HAALSI study has been at the forefront of understanding how South Africa’s population is transforming. Thanks to the widespread success of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and broader healthcare and economic improvements, life expectancy has surged. But with longer lives come new challenges—a rise in chronic diseases like cardiovascular issues, metabolic disorders, and dementia among the ageing population.

HAALSI doesn’t just track these trends—it digs deeper into the social and economic forces shaping health inequities. By harmonising ageing data from South Africa with global studies like the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) in the U.S. and sister studies in India, China, Brazil, the UK, and Europe, HAALSI provides unparalleled insights into how ageing and chronic diseases unfold worldwide.

This research is more than numbers—it’s about understanding what drives health and well-being in later life and shaping policies that ensure longer lives are also healthier ones.

In 2023, HAALSI investigators received funding from the NIH/NIA for additional waves of data collection and national expansion, with a special emphasis on cognitive health. HAALSI will include a 4th and 5th survey wave of a community-representative cohort in rural Agincourt, South Africa, the launch of a nationally representative longitudinal HAALSI survey across South Africa, as well as a sub-study focused on dementia.

 www.haalsi.org

 

• PI(s):?Lisa Berkman, Co-PI(s): Thomas Gaziano, Stephen Tollman 
• Project Manager: Rumbidzai Mupfuti
• Funder: NIH, NIA (USA)
• Collaborating Institutions: Harvard University, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Columbia University, Boston University, University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California (USA), University of Cape Town, and SAMRC/SAPRIN (SA), Heidelberg University (Germany)

KAYA

The Complexity of Informal Caregiving for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias in Rural South Africa (KAYA)

As growing numbers of people age globally, many develop Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). The consequent care needs can be complicated, particularly in resource-constrained communities where formal care services are lacking. However, research on the impact of ADRD caregiving is limited mainly to primary caregivers and high-income countries.

Our long-term goal is to identify ways to mitigate the negative impacts of long-term caregiving for ADRD in such communities and to develop novel ways to support householders and other caregivers. Our objectives in this study are to analyse (1) how extended households negotiate and provide care to people with ADRD and (2) how the health and well-being of all caregivers are affected by care roles.

Drawing from the Health and Ageing in Africa (HAALSI) cohort nested within the Agincourt HDSS, 100 index participants have been clinically screened for dementia and confirmed to have cognitive impairment or ADRD. We will use a mix of observations, interviews, and surveys to understand caregiving and health patterns among residents, non-resident family, and others. This research will provide new insights into both informal and formal caregiving relevant to resource-limited settings worldwide.

• PI(s): Lenore Manderson, Guy Harling
• Project Manager:?Michelle Brear
• Funder: NIH, USA
• Collaborating Institutions: University College London (UK); Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (USA)

African Research on Kidney Disease (ARK): Variant Bio extension

The ARK Consortium (comprising researchers from South Africa, Malawi, Uganda, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) aims to better understand kidney disease in African populations.

ARK's collaboration with Variant Bio seeks to identify genetic risk factors that cause kidney disease in South Africans and to improve the tools used to diagnose kidney disease. That way, we can locate such disease earlier and delay the progression to severe disease. 

In this study, Variant Bio is leveraging cutting-edge whole-genome sequencing to uncover the genetic secrets of kidney health. By comparing the DNA of individuals with poor kidney function to those with healthy kidneys, researchers aim to identify genetic factors that may influence susceptibility to kidney disease. These discoveries could pave the way for new insights, treatments, and prevention strategies for kidney health worldwide.

In addition to the genomics analyses, we will analyse blood samples from a metabolomics perspective. Simply, metabolomics studies tiny compounds in blood or urine that change based on genetics, environment, or disease. By identifying patterns linked to genes or risks, we can better understand how these factors affect kidney health.  

• PI: June?Fabian
• Co-PI: Stephen Tollman
• Project Manager:?Nokthula Busisiwe Mayindi
• Funder: Variant Bio (USA)
• Collaborating Institutions: SBIMB, Wits University (SA)