Network / Nested Member Nested

HAALSI (Health and Aging in Africa)

HAALSI (Health and Aging in Africa) is a Nested based in South Africa.

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Population: 5,540
Established: 2015
Setting: Urban
Unit of observation: Individual

Bushbuckridge sub-district · South Africa Cohort site South Africa

About the cohort

The HAALSI cohort, Health and Ageing in Africa: Longitudinal Studies in South Africa, is a cohort nested in the Agincourt HDSS that serves as a sub-Saharan African sister study harmonized with the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), USA, and other similar studies worldwide.

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HAALSI aims to longitudinally monitor social, economic, and biological risks for chronic health conditions, whether infectious or non-infectious, in a community representative sample of adults 40+ years. Underpinned by a genomics platform, intersecting areas of research include cardiovascular disease, HIV/AIDS, cognitive and physical functioning, dementias, and multimorbidity.

Wave 1 in 2015/16 recruited 5059 adults (2345 men and 2714 women), with a further three follow-up waves: wave 2 in 2019/20 (n=4171), wave 3 (2021/22, n=3707), wave 4 (2024), including a refresher sample 40-50 years and final recruited sample of 5540. A sub-cohort of 700 persons enables an in-depth study of dementias and cognitive change.

Participants are contacted twice between rounds, once in-person by the HDSS team and once by phone to check the participant's residence in Agincourt and whether they are alive.