Multidimensional deprivation and brain health in older adults in rural northern Tanzania: a cross-sectional community-based study

In adults aged 60+ in three rural communities in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, higher Alkire-Foster multidimensional deprivation predicts worse depression and cognition, with odds ratio 17.18 for screen-positive depression.

• Why it matters: Dementia and late-life depression are increasing in sub-Saharan Africa, but prevention efforts often overlook structural poverty measures linked to brain health.
• What they did: In the cross-sectional Akili Mali study (n=1054), researchers used a nine-indicator Alkire-Foster Multidimensional Deprivation Index and modeled associations with GDS-15, IDEA, CERAD ten-word list, and verbal fluency, adjusting for age, sex, education, community, comorbidity, and health behaviours.
• The result: Deprivation was near-universal (840/1026, 81.9%); each unit increase predicted higher GDS-15 (beta 4.83), higher odds of screen-positive depression (odds ratio 17.18), lower IDEA (beta -1.97) and lower verbal fluency (beta -2.57), while CERAD and self-reported impairment showed no association.

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