Cohort profile: the mature adults cohort of the Malawi longitudinal study of families and health (MLSFH-MAC)

Kohler, I. V., Bandawe, C., Ciancio, A. , Kämpfen, F., Payne, C. F., Mwera, J., Mkandawire, J. and Kohler, H.-P. (2020) Cohort profile: the mature adults cohort of the Malawi longitudinal study of families and health (MLSFH-MAC). BMJ Open, 10(10), e038232. (doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-038232) (PMID:33067285) (PMCID:PMC7569924)

Abstract

Purpose: The Mature Adults Cohort of the Malawi Longitudinal Study of Families and Health (MLSFH-MAC) contributes to global ageing studies by providing a rare opportunity to study the processes of individual and population ageing, the public health and social challenges associated with ageing and the coincident shifts in disease burdens, in a low-income, high HIV prevalence, sub-Saharan African (SSA) context. Participants: The MLSFH-MAC is an open population-based cohort study of mature adults aged 45+ years living in rural communities in three districts in Malawi. Enrolment at baseline is 1266 individuals in 2012. Follow-ups were in 2013, 2017 and 2018 when the cohort size reached 1626 participants in 2018. Findings to date: Survey instruments cover ageing-related topics such as cognitive and mental health, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and related health literacy, subjective survival expectations, measured biomarkers including HIV, grip strength, hypertension, fasting glucose, body mass index (BMI), broad individual-level and household-level social and economic information, a 2018 qualitative survey of mature adults and community officials, 2019 surveys of village heads, healthcare facilities and healthcare providers in the MLSFH-MAC study areas. Across many domains, MLSFH-MAC allows for comparative research with global ageing studies through harmonised measures and instruments. Key findings to date include a high prevalence of depression and anxiety among older adults, evidence for rapid declines in cognitive health with age, a low incidence of HIV among mature adults, rising prevalence of HIV due to increased survival of HIV-positive individuals and poor physical health with high NCD prevalence. Future plans: An additional wave of MLSFH-MAC is forthcoming in 2021, and future expansions of the cohort are planned. MLSFH-MAC data will also be publicly released and will provide a wealth of information unprecedented for ageing studies in a low-income SSA context that broadly represents the socioeconomic environment of millions of individuals in south-eastern Africa.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Ciancio, Dr Alberto
• Authors: Kohler, I. V., Bandawe, C., Ciancio, A., Kämpfen, F., Payne, C. F., Mwera, J., Mkandawire, J., and Kohler, H.-P.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Economics
• Journal Name: BMJ Open
• Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group
• ISSN: 2044-6055
• ISSN (Online): 2044-6055
• Published Online: 16 October 2020
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020.
• First Published: First published in BMJ Open 10(10):e038232
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons license