Prevalence of dementia screen positive among older adults in rural Kenya: results from a dementia screening program

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundSub‐Saharan African countries have the fastest growing rates of older people, yet little is known about the number of cases of dementia. In Kenya, the little we know about dementia is derived from studies involving the few individuals who receive a diagnosis, but typically in the more advanced stages of the condition when carers have reached a crisis point. Effective and routine data screening is important for the early detection of dementia, but also provides insights into the number of people living with cognitive and functional impairment associated with dementia. We aimed to describe the number of people screening positive for dementia within rural Kenya, and identify factors associated with screening positive.MethodCommunity Health Workers conducted an opportunistic household survey among community‐dwelling residents aged 60 and above in rural Kenya. The brief Community Screening Instrument for Dementia (CSID), which allows for potential cases of dementia to be identified without the need for specialist tools or intensive training was used to identify number of people living with dementia and socio‐demographic information collected. This is an interim analysis of the data.Result672 older adults (M = 71.0 years old; SD = 8.96) were screened for dementia. Participants were predominantly Kamba (n = 664, 98.8%) and from Makueni county (n = 617, 91.8%). 209 people screened positive for dementia (31.1% (95%CIs 27.6 to 34.8). Males (OR = 0.67, 95%CIs 0.52 to 0.87) and people who were literate (OR = 0.51, 95%CIs 0.41 to 0.64) were less likely to screen positive for dementia. Screening positive for dementia was also associated with old age, with the oldest age group (90 years+) being 3.7 times more likely to screen positive for dementia than the youngest group (60‐64 years) (OR = 3.67, 95%CIs 2.54 to 5.37).ConclusionThese findings form the first‐ever dementia screening programme in rural Kenya and highlight the numbers of people living with cognitive and functional impairment, potentially indicating dementia. Although such cases need to be clinically confirmed, these data can support the planning, policy development and inclusion of dementia care within policy discussions.