Psychosocial Factors and Noncommunicable Diseases in Older Sub-Sahara Africans

Thursday, November 9, 2023

8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

Location: Room 103

Chair(s)

James Muruthi, PhD, MA

Assistant Professor
Counseling and Family Therapy
College of Nursing and Health Professions, Drexel University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Discussant(s)

Margaret Adamek, PhD (she/her/hers)

Interim Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
Social Work
Indiana University
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

Slides

Individual Symposium Abstract First Author(s)

Candidus "Candi" Nwakasi, PhD (he/him/his)

Assistant Professor, Human Development and Family Sciences
Human Development and Family Sciences
University of Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut, United States
Darlingtina Esiaka, PhD, CPH, CPG (she/her/hers)

Post-Doctoral Scholar
Department of Behavioral Science and Center for Health Equity Transformation
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky, United States
James Muruthi, PhD, MA

Assistant Professor
Counseling and Family Therapy
College of Nursing and Health Professions, Drexel University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Margaret Adamek, PhD (she/her/hers)

Interim Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
Social Work
Indiana University
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

Slides

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has the fastest-growing proportion of older individuals globally. Concurrently, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a growing burden in the SSA aging population. An essential step towards reducing NCDs is an enhanced understanding of the various diseases and discussing their psychosocial risk factors. This session will provide a unique depiction of the occurrence and measurements of NCDs and their associations with psychosocial factors in aging SSA adults. Dr. Muruthi and colleagues present the psychometric properties of a Swahili-translated Kessler 6 scale in aging Kenyans. Drs Nwakasi and Esiaka discuss HIV health information acquisition among older Nigerian women who are cancer survivors. Dr. Esiaka and colleagues discuss psychosocial determinants of early cancer detection and survivorship among older Nigerian men. Drs. Adamek and Dr. Kotecho will present information about the extent of depression among older adults in Sub-Saharan Africa and an understanding of the factors contributing to high rates of geriatric depression. Findings from this session will help elucidate our understanding of NCDs and related psychosocial factors, a necessary step for developing robust evidence-based interventions to reduce non-communicable diseases (and their effects) among aging people in SSA.

Learning Objectives:

understand the burden of non-communicable diseases among aging populations in Sub-Saharan Africa.
identify and describe psychosocial factors associated with non-communicable diseases in aging people across Sub-Saharan Africa.
understand measurement and conceptual considerations for researching NCDs among aging people in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Presentations:

8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

HIV Knowledge and Information Access Among Female Cancer Survivors in Nigeria
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Candidus "Candi" Nwakasi, PhD (he/him/his) – University of Connecticut
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

The Role of Social Determinants of Health on Cancer Risk Behaviors Among Older Nigerian Men
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Darlingtina Esiaka, PhD, CPH, CPG (she/her/hers) – University of Kentucky
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

Psychometric Evaluation of a Swahili-Translated Kessler 6 Among Older Kenyans
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: James Muruthi, PhD, MA – College of Nursing and Health Professions, Drexel University
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

Factors Contributing to Growing Depression Among Elders in Sub-Saharan Africa
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Margaret E. Adamek, PhD (she/her/hers) – Indiana University