Effects of pension eligibility expansion on men's memory decline and dementia probability: Findings from the HAALSI cohort in rural South Africa, 2014-2021.

ABSTRACT: Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) are a growing global health concern, with burdens projected to expand rapidly in the coming decades. Since cognitive decline typically precedes ADRD, it is crucial to identify interventions that may help slow cognitive decline and reduce ADRD risk. We used a quasi-experimental design, exploiting exogenous expansions of South Africa's Older Persons Grant for men, to estimate its impact on memory decline and ADRD risk in the rural Mpumalanga province of South Africa. We found that expanded pension eligibility was associated with slower memory decline for men who were eligible to receive the pension 5 years earlier [β = 0.027 SD, 95% CI = 0.023, 0.031], as well as for men who were eligible to receive the pension 1-4 years earlier [β = 0.009 SD,

SUBMITTER: Jock J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12193015 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature