Cognition, Health, and Well-Being in a Rural Sub-Saharan African Population.

ABSTRACT: Cognitive health is an important dimension of well-being in older ages, but few studies have investigated the demography of cognitive health in sub-Saharan Africa's (SSA) growing population of mature adults (= persons age 45+). We use data from the Malawi Longitudinal Study of Families and Health (MLSFH) to document the age and gender patterns of cognitive health, the contextual and life-course correlates of poor cognitive health, and the understudied linkages between cognitive and physical/mental well-being. Surprisingly, the age-pattern of decline in cognitive health is broadly similar to that observed in the U.S. We also find that women have substantially worse cognitive health than men, and experience a steeper age-gradient in cognitive ability. Strong social ties and exposure to socia

SUBMITTER: Payne CF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6205235 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature