Rates and predictors of three-year mortality in older XXXX in rural Tanzania.

@entity1 @entity101 @entity73 @entity16 @entity955 @entity2414
BACKGROUND: There are few data on mortality rates in the general elderly living in sub-Saharan Africa. We aimed to detail three-year mortality rates in a population of rural community-dwelling older adults in northern Tanzania. METHODS: We performed a community-based study of 2232 @entity1 aged 70 years and over living in Hai district, Tanzania. At baseline, @entity1 underwent clinical assessment for disability, @entity16 , @entity101 , @entity955 and @entity2414 . At three-year follow-up mortality data were collected. Mortality rates were compared to UK estimates. RESULTS: At follow-up, data were available for 1873 subjects (83.9%). Of those, 208 (11.1%, 95% CI 9.7-12.5) had died. The age-standardised mortality rate was 10.2% (95% CI 8.8-11.6). Age-standardised mortality rates were lower than estimated for the UK (13.9%). In Cox regression analysis, greater age, higher levels of functional disability, use of a walking aid, subjective report of @entity2414 , being severely underweight and being normotensive were significant predictors of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Those who survive to old age in Tanzania appear to have relatively low mortality rates. Physical and @entity73 were strongly associated with mortality risk in this elderly community-dwelling population. The association between blood pressure and mortality merits further study.
